Our guest on Episode 6 was Mauricio Ramos, the CEO of Millicom. Millicom is a $3.75 billion market cap mobile and broadband company that primarily operates in Latin and South America. What is most interesting about Millicom is its leading positions in its largest markets and how rapidly the company is transforming itself into a broadband leader in the region.
Mauricio has been CEO since 2015 but has been involved with the industry since the late 1990s. Over his tenure, he has overseen the company’s ongoing exit from its African operations as well as its expansion through M&A into new markets such as Panama. Mauricio spent a number of years working for Liberty Global and has brought the John Malone cable playbook to Millicom.
COVID has presented the company with some unique challenges and I thought it would be a great time to catch up with Mauricio about his outlook for Millicom and the markets the company operates within.
In this conversation, we had the opportunity to cover:
- The rationale for spending aggressively to become a more broadband-focused company
- What he learned about the cable industry while working for Liberty Global
- The process of working to become better known by US investors
- The benefits of owning both cable and wireless assets in Millicom’s markets
- How to establish a cohesive culture across borders
This was a great conversation about business and culture-building that included lessons that are applicable across industries and geographies.
Please enjoy the interview at the following sites:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Fq0ZtVMkQo
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/applying-the-john-malone-cable-playbook-in-latin/id1579124518?i=1000534665729
Podbean: https://compounders.podbean.com/e/applying-the-john-malone-cable-playbook-in-latin-america-with-mauricio-ramos-ceo-of-millicom-nasdaq-tigo/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2xYoYETScqs9gdXlcrf2h9
Also, if you have any comments, feedback, or guest recommendations, please contact us at podcast@covestreetcapital.com. You can also follow the podcast on Twitter @ https://twitter.com/CompoundersPod.
If you missed our last podcast with KAR Auction Services Executive Chairman Jim Hallett, you can enjoy it here.
