Making Tech Change Stick: Connectivity Rollouts, 24/7 Uptime, and the Realities of Multi-Site Delivery, with Shona Goodlad, Sky Business.

Reliable connectivity now sits alongside water and electricity for modern hospitality.

In this Sky Business–powered episode, Chris sits down with Shona Goodlad (Head of Existing Accounts, Sky Business) to unpack what really happens when you move from “one site” to “thousands of sites”.

They talk honestly about why tech projects feel risky, what commonly goes wrong, how strong governance and communication reduce downtime, and why operators should start with the problem (not the product).

If you’re planning a rollout in 2026, this is your practical playbook for making change land smoothly across sites, teams, and suppliers.What you’ll learnWhy connectivity is the foundation that enables every other tech decisionHow big rollouts break down (and how to plan for the uncontrollables)The role of governance, comms, and internal ownership in rollout successHow to avoid “speed obsession” and fix the real causes of poor experienceWhat a strong 30/60/90-day post-go-live cadence looks likeHow to align suppliers to business KPIs (loyalty, data, CX, risk)Why operators should bring partners in early to shape the journey, not just quote the priceKey moments00:00–01:20 Sky Business series intro + why “solve the operator problem” beats “sell the product”01:20–03:30 Shona’s background and what her team does for existing mid-market customers03:30–05:20 One site vs one thousand sites: what changes at scale05:20–07:30 Cost vs cyber vs downtime: what operators say they worry about vs what they really fear07:30–10:20 “Things will go wrong”: building trust, credibility, and mitigation plans10:20–12:40 Comms failures, site readiness, third parties, and why rollouts slip12:40–16:10 Post-go-live reality: stragglers, service cadence, and staying close to strategy16:10–18:20 Being unapologetically commercial (and why ROI matters for both sides)18:20–21:10 Connectivity as a utility + the real cost of downtime21:10–23:40 What operators should ask suppliers: “What will go wrong and how do we handle it?”23:40–26:20 Where mid-market operators should invest time when they don’t have a CTO26:20–28:40 Openreach realities: escalation paths, process, and why hospitality finds it alien28:40–29:50 How to reach Sky Business + meet the team at Tech on Toast’s February eventReach out to SKY at https://business.sky.com/s/medium-business