More than two decades ago, Cheryl Barker embarked on a new lease on life, leaving her comfort zone and a nine-year career as a school teacher to tackle the challenging corporate world.

That decision has paid off in spades as the savvy Barker has established herself as one of Canada’s authorities on the telecommunications industry.

After 14 years with Manitoba Telecom Services (MTS), Barker reached the pinnacle of her career in October. She was appointed chief executive officer of Calgary-based Bell Intrigna, a telecommunications services company owned by MTS and Bell Canada.

And the exuberant Winnipeg native says she’s loving every minute of it.

Mike Sturk, Business Edge
Cheryl Barker believes women should take every advantage of opportunities in the workplace.

1. Reflecting on your nine years as a schoolteacher in Winnipeg, how did that prepare you for life as a CEO?

“I think it was a very valuable stint. I don’t think I lost out by going down that path initially. As a teacher, you learn a lot about human nature, discipline, patience, the quality of personal interaction and organization skills.”

2. So how does a teacher wind up in a corner office of a high-tech company?

“I tried to excel as a teacher and I think I did a great job, but I didn’t think I was going to become any better as a teacher. I decided I needed something that would offer me constant change and further my intelligence and capabilities with a new challenge.”

3. Who has been your mentor?

“Bill Fraser (CEO of Manitoba Telecom Services, the two-thirds owner of Bell Intrigna) has been my mentor and still is. I’ve worked for him since 1986. I still report to Bill. I think he has taught me to be principled, to follow business fundamentals, to believe in myself, to be fair and, when necessary, to be patient.”

4. What has been the biggest obstacle you’ve encountered in climbing the corporate ladder?

“Gender. Yes, being a female has been the biggest obstacle. I think that men tend to downplay or underestimate your abilities because you’re a woman. When you are speaking as a professional chartered accountant, I think you have to be even more dramatic than you might otherwise have to be. I have to have a very forceful personality. You have to be better to just show you’re as good as anyone else. I was also a single mom for a number of years, and I think that has its extra challenges. I think single dads have their challenges as well.

I think being a single parent takes its toll on your ability to balance work and life. I think in the course of achieving my current position, I’ve had to make a lot of choices between work and life balance.”

5. Do you think the corporate world is more receptive to female managers today?

“I think we still have a ways to go, but we have made great progress. I think men are much more sensitized than they were previously to glass ceilings and systemic barriers that exist in the workplace.

“I think the biggest advancement that we’ve made is that there’s an understanding on everyone’s part that the workplace is a better place to be if you have more women in the workplace. For example, if you have a marketing department, you should have women because women are consumers and they spend the bulk of the consumer dollars.”

6. What’s the best advice you can give to a woman climbing the corporate ladder?

“I think they should have to be true to themselves, believe in themselves and take advantage of every opportunity – every one.”

7. What was the turning point of your career?

“I had a critical assignment in 1996-97 where I was responsible for the change in Manitoba Telecom Services (to its status as a publicly traded company). That was a huge change in my role as an internally focused finance person to actually marketing the company to shareholders – and I just loved it. That was a career-maker for me. I had a lot of exposure to a lot of very senior individuals.”

8. Describe your business philosophy?

“I have a financial background, so my business philosophy very much focuses around the financial ramifications of the business activities. In terms of dealing with people, I think you need to be fair and consistent and reasonable. Something has to make sense financially either in the short term and, if not in the short term, in the long term.

“Otherwise, you should move on. (As a CEO), I think you need to be fair, you need to be approachable, you need to be consistent and you need to understand the business.”

9. Is winning everything to you?

“No. If winning is everything to you, then it doesn’t matter to you if someone else loses.”

“I believe that at the end of the day if all parties concerned can structure a win-win, that’s what’s important.”

10. What have your first three months as CEO of Bell Intrigna been like?

“It has been challenging and rewarding. Since I’ve been here, I’ve had a much greater hands-on look at the company, the people who run it and our opportunities. I find that very exciting because this company has the critical mass right now, and we already are, I think, the alternative provider to Telus. And I think we have nowhere to go but up. The environment in Alberta and B.C. is primed for a strong alternative provider that has two very strong shareholders in MTS and Bell Canada. We’ve been successful and we’re going to be even more successful.”

11. Has the focus changed since you took over from Murray Korth, your predecessor?

“No, I don’t think so. It is maintaining true to its mandate to provide leading-edge telecommunications products to business customers in Alberta and B.C. Murray’s expertise is in startups and he took it from one employee or a handful employees to about 550 employees when he left. Now we’re slightly past startup status, I believe, and we’re into those early stages of explosive growth.”

12. What’s your goal for the company for 2002?

“It’s multi-faceted. The expectation is that we’ll expand our customer base. We believe that large regional customers are welcoming an opportunity to look at a strong alternative provider. We’re looking at expanding some of our products to be even more IP-based. I think this is going to be a real catalyst year for us.”

13. What’s your view of the SuperNet project’s potential impact in bringing high-speed Internet to rural Alberta?

“There continues to be a disparity between rural and urban customers in availability, accessibility and price. What the Government of Alberta intends to do is eliminate that. And that can only mean good things for economic development, education and just the general well-being of Albertans. And we’re excited to be a part of that.”

14. What’s your vision for the telecommunications industry in the next five to 10 years?

“I think that both businesses and consumers will continue to see a proliferation of products at even faster speed at cheaper prices. Yeah, speed is the name of the game. You’ll just have more and more products because you’ll be able to squeeze more and more at a faster speed . . . than you had before.”

15. Are there any other industry issues that concern you?

“The regulatory regime could be refocused in early 2002 with a ruling, and it’s such a critical ruling. The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) is coming out with what I believe will be a fundamental decision on what the regulatory landscape will look like for the next four years. I think the ability of some of the alternative providers will hinge on what the CRTC decides. It’s substantial. If the ruling is such that it’s unfriendly to some alternative providers, I think we will have fewer companies in Canada competing for business. Or, conversely, the CRTC could decide that they will set up a regime that gives them a little bit of a leg up, and we could see some further investment on the capital side by U.S. companies into funding expansion. Everybody’s at a wait-and-see mode until that ruling comes out. It is supposed to come out in quarter one, but now it might be quarter two.”

16. Do you lose sleep over what Telus is doing?

“Do I lose sleep? No. I think they’re a formidable competitor and they are the incumbent, which gives them a huge leg up. But I believe we’re a fierce alternative provider.”

17. How many hours a week do you work?

“I work 40, 60, 70, 80 – yeah, easily 80. Monday to Thursday, I usually work 13 hours a day. I’m used to long hours. I’m lucky. I don’t have the pressures of a young family and I don’t have the pressure of relying on other people relying on me to be there. But the hours are not an issue because I enjoy my work so much.”

18. What’s been the most important character trait instrumental in your success?

“Never say die. I don’t give up.”

19. If you could, what would you change about yourself?

“I wish I was more relaxed in public speaking. People tell me I do a pretty good job at it, but I wish I could be more relaxed . . . if I were, I’d be more effervescent or something, you know.”

20. What are your aspirations beyond business?

“My goal is to break 100 (on the golf course). My best game in 2001 was 104, which was my best game ever. I’d love to go to golf school this year if I can fit it in. If I could break 100, I’d probably be dancing in the streets for a week. I’d be glowing. In golf, you can’t focus on anything else but what it is you’re doing and, if you do, you’re in trouble. That’s why I like it, because it’s a complete removal from everything else that can sort of take precedent.”

IN PROFILE: Cheryl Barker

* Born/raised/age: Winnipeg, 51.

* Title: CEO/chair/president, Bell Intrigna.

* Education: Bachelor of Science, Certificate in Education, University of Manitoba; chartered accountant.

* Family: Son, Aaron Bowler, 28.

* Career: Barker was appointed CEO of Bell Intrigna on Oct. 15 after 14 years with Manitoba Telecom Services where she rose through the ranks to become chief financial officer. Prior to joining MTS, she was financial policy analyst with the Province of Manitoba Department of Finance and a chartered accountant at Peat Marwick & Mitchell (now KPMG). Prior to that, she taught math, science and computer science at junior high and high schools in Winnipeg.

* Passions: Golf, downhill skiing.

THE COMPANY: Bell Intrigna

* Brass: Cheryl Barker, CEO/chair/president; Louise Villeneuve, chief operating officer; Murray Bamforth, vice-president, finance, chief financial officer.

* Profile: Launched in June 1999, Bell Intrigna is a provider of leading-edge and next-generation telecommunications services to customers in Alberta and B.C. It is also leading the deployment of the Alberta's government’s $295-million SuperNet project. Intrigna is jointly owned by Manitoba Telecom Services (two-thirds) and Bell Canada (one-third) and is based in Calgary with offices in Edmonton and Vancouver.

* Mission: To increase customers' competitiveness by supplying innovative, cost-effective and reliable communications solutions with a focus on emerging services.

* Website: www.bellintrigna.com

* Address: 21st Floor, 111 5th Ave. S.W., Calgary, T2P 3Y6.

* Phone: 410-8600.