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Almost 30 years after fonding Mitel Corp., Terry Matthews is once again of the helm of the Ottawa communications giant.
Matthews recently announced that he is buying Mitel's communications unit and the "Mitel" name for $350 million.
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Matthews is no stranger to the global technology scene.
His telecom career officially began at the age of 16 at British Telecom Research Labs. He continued his studies, earning an honors degree in electronics from the University College of Wales. Upon graduation, Matthews joined Microsystems International Ltd. in Canada and rose to the position of Manager of Telecommunications Product Marketing. He also met a fellow there by the name of Michael Cowpland.
Matthews and Cowpland teamed up to form Mitel Corp. in 1972. During a 13-year reign, Matthews helped build Mitel into a global communications powerhouse.
In 1985 Matthews left Mitel to found Newbridge Networks Corp. From 1985 to 2000, the Newbridge Network CEO also helped launch a number of Newbridge spin-offs. Last year, Matthews sold Newbridge for US$7.1-billion to France's Alcatel SA.
Today, Matthews is keeping busy.
He is the CEO of Ottawa-based March Networks. He is also the head of Celtic House International, one of Canada's most influential venture capital firms. Matthews also owns a huge industrial park in Kanata and has opened a resort near his birthplace in Wales. In May 1994, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire.
Matthews recently talked to SVN's Derek Mellon and discussed how Mitel has changed over the years, his plans for the new acquisition and why he could never run a corner store.
SVN: Terry Matthews and Mitel spoken in the same sentence. Not many people would have guessed that five years ago.
Matthews: Not five years ago because the timing wasn't right. I preamble this by saying there is a change toward broadband applications and broadband...