Candidate Statement
Alex Bloor – Andrews and Arnold Ltd
Thanks for reading this statement and for taking an interest in the process of electing LINX’s NEDs.
Of course, I hope that I win a place on the Board for a further three years. But even if I am not successful, the process by which Members exercise their right to choose their NEDs matters greatly to me; it is one of the things that makes LINX unusual and special in the industry and in the wider global peering community.
And it is worth defending and preserving.
Over the past three years since I was elected, I believe I’ve offered considered, thoughtful and useful input into the Board’s decisions and discussions. I have offered praise where praise is due, and challenge, caution and constructive critique where those are due. I think I have done this in a mostly amiable and diplomatic manner.
I have developed good rapport with other Board members, both exec and non-exec, and with the LINX staff and members generally.
Though I come from a “small company, eyeballs network” background, I am acutely aware of the huge value that the presence of larger LINX peering members offer to smaller network operators. My attitudes and opinions are steered by this viewpoint.
One of the things I came to realise after joining the Board is that in order to ensure LINX can stay doing the things that it does well (and that members most value) we can not aim for flat (i.e. zero) growth. We cannot stand still.
If this was the deliberate aim, then inevitably the trend would actually be downwards.
There are some members who, reasonably enough, may consider offshore projects such as the Kenya IXP as “mission creep”; I too held that viewpoint in the distant past, about LINX NoVA. But today, I recognise that in order to continue the good work from which many members derive benefit, we must aim slightly above the horizon; to grow and diversify, cautiously and prudently, but nonetheless, “aiming up”.
The aspirational actually helps underwrite the operational, in the long term. It is not an exercise in vanity, or over-confidence.
I gave a talk at LINX121 entitled “What happeNED?” which is on YouTube, if you are interested in a more detailed account of what it means to be a LINX Board Member.
I am happy to say that at least two other candidates saw, were influenced by this talk, and decided to stand for election afterwards, which was an aim of the presentation.
The talk is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzyOl6NqG5E
With your blessing, I would like to continue for another three years, so I’d be very grateful of your votes.
