NTT CEO on huge integration: 'The journey is definitely not over'

Jason Goodall tells CRN how the integration of the combined $11bn organisation is going so far

Japanese services provider NTT's integration of its 28 subsidiaries into one single company will take up to two years, according to CEO Jason Goodall.

Earlier this year the services provider announced it would be rolling all of its companies and business interests outside of Japan, including Dimension Data, NTT Security and White Hat, into one entity (this does not include NTT Data, which will be kept separate).

Goodall (pictured) told CRN that the integration journey has gone quicker than he had anticipated, but the systems and process changes will take the longest time to unify.

The managed services provider currently has a headcount of 40,000 across its 28 subsidiaries and opened its London headquarters last month.

It also announced a new executive leadership team, which placed Goodall - formerly boss of Dimension Data - as the new chief exec.

Two-thirds of its 300 global offices have been rebranded both internally and externally, and the CEO hopes all rebranding will be done by Christmas.

"We've done a number of road shows to clients, to our partners and to journalists and analysts, so I think just over four months in we've done a good job in really positioning NTT as an organisation," he explained.

"There's obviously a lot of work we have to do at the back end around things like integrating ERP systems as we go forward.

"I think we've done a pretty good job in the first four months, but it's definitely not over.

"But we certainly go to market as a single organisation now; most of our salespeople can talk value proposition of a single organisation, we look like a single organisation and I think, most importantly, all of our people have a sense of belonging and a sense of excitement at working for NTT Ltd."

Goodall added that though he hopes the integration will be completed within a two-year time span, he acknowledges that there is a complexity that comes with combining a mass of companies and the business need to keep systems up to date.

"Like all companies of our size we are continually changing, upgrading and replacing systems as we go, so it will become a bit blurred, and frankly, I don't think we'll ever draw a line and say ‘Okay, well, that was that piece of work done and now go on' - it will be a combination."

Stay tuned for more from CRN's interview with Jason Goodall