We Celebrate Megaport’s 5-Year (and Beyond) Employee Anniversaries

By Henry Wagner, Chief Marketing Officer

We Celebrate Megaport’s 5-Year (and Beyond) Employee Anniversaries

Through thick and through thin, these long-time Megaporters have been integral to our tremendous growth. Read what they have to say about their time at Megaport.

Vinny, CEO
Brisbane, Australia
Started June 2015

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over five years since Megaport IPO’d on the ASX in December 2015. Since then, we’ve grown from 36 employees to over 230 today. Over 2,000 customers later, what a ride it’s been since that magical year.

I started at Megaport in June 2015 as the CFO. I think I was employee number 13 or 14. We started in the incubator office, which was Capitalb on Church Street. We were sitting in these expensive chairs and had all the latest Apple laptops and gear, but it was funny because we were sitting at these plastic fold-up picnic tables. Every employee got a Nerf gun and a marketing box full of Nerf darts. I still have mine.

My first job was to put together a business plan and create a new structure for Megaport Limited. And just a few months later, we went IPO with a mind towards launching into North America and Europe.

It’s been a whirlwind since. At one stage, I had three titles: Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Deputy CEO. So I’ve worn a good few hats. In early 2017, I became CEO and haven’t looked back.

Personally, I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved in a short space of time. As a global company, being able to communicate and work to get things done the way we do today is an incredible achievement in itself. There’s been a huge amount of sacrifice from a lot of people.

And it’s our people that make Megaport special to me. We’re doing something that no one has done before, so it’s like we’re on an adventure and we’re the explorers. And our people and our teams have really embraced that spirit. We’re not afraid of challenges and we’ve got a very strong can-do attitude. You can see and feel that everyday and it comes through in everything that we do.

So well done to all of our colleagues who are celebrating multiple anniversaries. We’ve got a great mix of tenures among all our employees. We all learn from each other and that’s what makes it fun and exciting to come to work every day.

I’m looking forward to the new year and all that it’ll bring. I hope you enjoy these stories from some of our longest-tenured team members as they celebrate their five-year (and beyond) anniversaries in 2021.

Go Team Megaport!
#getitdone

Adam, Principal Software Solution Architect, Software Development
Brisbane, Australia
Started September 2013

My name is Adam and I started at Megaport in about August 2013 writing software. Fast forward seven years and only the legendary Mitch Warden has been here longer.

I have very fond memories of the early days on Church Street with folding plastic tables from a local hardware chain and the spare bathroom doing double duty as a kitchen! Whole of company meetings involved turning your chair around, and the team culture was the best I’ve known. Over a few months, three of us (Mitch, Cam and myself) built the core software systems that still run Megaport today.

We worked very hard, but Bevan looked after us with a level of generosity that I’ve never experienced before. One highlight is the 2015 work Christmas party where the whole company was served dinner at the dolphin aquarium, with a private dolphin show.

I’ve been writing software for startups for about 20 years; mostly they don’t go anywhere. Bevan’s startups in general, and Megaport in particular, are the spectacular exception to this and I am very proud of what we have achieved.

Matt, Vice President, Cloud Product
San Francisco, USA
Started April 2014

I can’t believe it’s been six years. Coming to Megaport from the hospitality industry seemed like this huge, impossible step. Megaport has since supported and transformed my professional and personal life, pushing me to surpass my limits and step out of my comfort zone.

I had the privilege of joining the team during incubation, back in Brisbane. Day one I was onboarding, then BAM! — day two I was representing the company at a cloud event in Sydney. We were just this little start up with one sole cloud interconnect location in Syd, but we were there standing next to some of the world’s largest tech companies. Fast forward to today and those same tech companies want to be part of our platform. It’s been quite the journey, and I’ve been lucky enough to travel the globe, heading up the company’s cloud interconnection strategy.

There is something really special about Megaport and it’s all down to the people. It’s all about passion. When I had my first interview with Bevan, he told me about his vision for the company, and the passion was palpable. The energy and generosity he puts into this company can still be felt, and it’s shared by everyone in the business. It’s been a hard slog, and we’ve had a lot of fun, but we’ve also looked after one another. And anyone looking in is able to see the care and community that exists here. Thank you Bevan, thank you Vinny, and thank you everyone that makes Megaport so amazing.

Karissa, Account Manager EMEA, Commercial
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Started June 2015

Walking into the Church Street office in Brisbane on day one, greeted with Bunnings plastic picnic tables as our desks, the floor covered in Nerf bullets and a pinball machine in the corner, was a bit of a shock. Coming from a corporate background, I really didn’t know what to expect. However what I did know from that moment was that working for Megaport was going to be a real ride, and what a ride! I have worked with the industry’s best and have been a part of changing the way customers connect and consume services. Thanks for the ride thus far, Megaport!

Glenn, Senior Project Manager
Berlin, Germany
Started November 2015

On my first day at Megaport, I was blown away by the speed of everything. Introductions were crisp, tours were punchy and even the IT setup took about three minutes. There was an all-hands meeting that day (I was the 36th employee) at the pre-IPO startup and I was introduced to the tight group of people who were making Megaport. I was introduced to the team, and due to the plans discussed, the knowledge being exchanged, plus the energy in the room, in that moment, I realised that I had jumped on a rollercoaster.

Since then, there have been constant opportunities to work with great people on interesting projects. These have been challenging and rewarding times. Professionally speaking, I’ve been grateful for having the freedom to tackle challenges with autonomy and to have the support of my colleagues.

The events of 2020 and the fact that despite working mostly remotely, we’ve pushed through as a team and I’ve been left feeling incredibly grateful.

Jason, Head of Solutions, APAC Commercial
Brisbane, Australia
Started January 2016

It all felt very otherworldly walking into the Capitalb incubator offices on Church Street back in 2016. It was just after the Australia Day holiday, in fact, and it was the first time I was in the office as a Megaport employee. I had been there before — November the previous year to be precise — when I was going through recruitment stages after many, many, phone calls and some great conversations. Even before this I knew Megaport was a fast-moving startup with some majorly smart people and some equally major goals ahead of it.

It was quite a blast to turn up in a button-down shirt to have my interview by the not-quite-titled CTO, no less, who was wearing shorts and surf gear! I knew this was a place I could put my diverse tech background to good use. Why? The people, the culture, the product and most of all the passion that made it all fit together so well. Everyone who was there just after the IPO (the December intervening interview and starting) knew that there was something special cooking in that incubator and couldn’t wait to make their mark.Day one was celebrated by not learning systems and processes, but by having equally amazing conversations and soaking in more of the resonant spirit of the people driving those early days and then getting straight to it, focusing on the customer and putting the product (private/public connectivity and cloud) into their hands as fast as possible. In fact, the move from thinking about getting connected to being connected was so fast I had to wonder whether our customers would have their heads spinning as much as I did on day one. As the first Solution Architect at Megaport, it was my job to make sure they strapped in for that wild ride.

Damian, Head of Global Procurement, Commercial / Procurement
Perth, Australia
Started February 2016

I’m most proud of my contribution to building out the team, formalising the underlying processes and procuring the network infrastructure and services that have been fundamental to driving the growth of the Megaport data centre points of presence from 100 to over 700!

This photo was taken in New York City on 12 May 2016 at dinner after meeting with the Digital Realty team where we workshopped the details that underpinned the foundational Service Exchange agreement. This was a pivotal moment, where the Megaport platform was backed and endorsed by one of the largest DC operators in the world. Current Megaporters: Damian, Adam, Mitch, Vincent, and Brent.

Misha, Senior Director, Global Cloud Solutions Architecture
Charlotte, USA
Started April 2016

What an amazing ride it’s been! It’s pretty remarkable to look back on the last five years and consider how many amazing accomplishments I’ve witnessed during my time at Megaport. When I first started we had just a dozen sites in North America, about two dozen employees, and we were super psyched to land our first couple of partnerships with cloud service providers.

Today, with more than a couple hundred employees, we’ve grown our network to nearly 200 data centers in the region and some 400 sites globally, enabling access to our platform from nearly 700 data centers. And we’ve developed close partnerships with all of the major CSPs, plus so many other major milestones.

Looking back, what stands out the most for me is the number of incredible relationships I’ve developed with this group of dynamic, energetic, and forward-thinking go-getters. We’ve logged thousands of flight miles traveling the globe to share our vision for a connected business world. It’s been rewarding to see so many of the world’s leading brands come on board as a result.

Across all of those miles and these years, what I’m most inspired by is the fact that we haven’t lost that fire. Here’s to many more.

Tina, Head of Regional and Channel Marketing
Hong Kong, China
Started June 2016

I consider myself very lucky to have helped shape Megaport’s growth story for the last few years. Looking back, year after year, we set ourselves these daring stretched goals which we all collectively work very hard towards achieving, because we believe in the business’ potential and we are empowered in our capacity to make a difference. We are a relatively small team and therefore we’re incredibly focused on what’s the most impactful. We have limited resources and therefore we’ve learned to automate and simplify for maximum efficiency. We have a bold vision for the future, but we remain grounded and humble. I see all these attributes played out every day around the company and they are the things I treasure the most about my experience here.

Anna, General Counsel, Legal and Compliance
Brisbane, Australia
Started June 2016

There are simply not enough words to describe my life at Megaport! I feel like I have grown as much as Megaport has in the time I’ve been with the company. I joined the company not long after its IPO in late 2015. It has been a whirlwind of experiences — I’m grateful to have been intimately involved in the company’s expansion across the globe and to have established a highly regarded Legal team. I have learned an incredible amount and gained some invaluable relationships, both external and internal to Megaport. I can’t wait to see what the next five years has in store!

Scott, Network Deployment Manager, Operations
Brisbane, Australia
Started August 2016

It’s been an exciting journey over the past few years — from just over 100 sites when I began, to over 380 today and growing. Contributing to the cloud on-ramp connections and the growth of our network, and being able to lead a team integral to the growth is a challenging but exciting and rewarding career.

Eric, CMO
San Francisco, USA
Started September 2015

It took only a few seconds for me to respond, “Yes!”. I had just been told what the Megaport team was working on and asked whether I wanted to join. At the time I was very happy and gainfully employed at an amazing tech company based in the Pacific Northwest of the US that makes gaming consoles, operating systems, and runs massive-scale cloud services. OK, fine, it was Microsoft. And I really liked being there. So I was somewhat startled, but not entirely surprised, when I answered “Yes!” almost reflexively. 

I had been in “the industry” working for some really cool technology and infrastructure companies for about 18 years at that point. I was familiar with several of the founding members of Megaport’s technology team and their excellent work in previous endeavors. So the people and technology were instantly a draw. It was that, plus the model and vision, that caused a Pavlovian “Yes!” response.

The Megaport vision is to break down walls and move past the constraints of physical locations when it comes to data networking and interconnecting businesses. It’s a vision that enables all kinds of businesses — neutrally and without limits — to innovate and power the services we all use today. That’s what I signed up for. And it’s given me the opportunity to work with the best people in the business - learning along the way and forging amazing relationships with friends and colleagues I’ll have for the rest of my life. 

All the while, the Megaport team has built a massive platform that helps over 2,000 companies around the world get connected — from health care service providers working to care for patients to digital studios pumping out Hollywood blockbusters. That is a satisfying feeling.

I love waking up and “going to work” each day. Our teams get a lot done, but we have a lot of fun while doing it. We have genuinely hilarious, fun, and interesting people here. They always keep me on my toes. I can’t wait to see what else we get done in the next five years!

By the way, Brisbane, Australia is a fantastic place filled with equally fantastic people. That’s where you’ll find our Global Headquarters. But, as a global company, Megaport continues to feed my need to work with an international cast of characters and on a global stage. After all, we’re in 23 countries as of today. No matter where you find a Megaporter; working remotely, at a regional office, or at Headquarters, you’re bound to see them rocking a sweet Megaport shirt. It tells you a lot about how we feel about being part of Megaport.

Here’s to the next 5 years!

Megaport Japan Launch, November 2019