Optical Solutions Australia Team - Silverwater

Dennis Zilic

Co-founder & National Director of Sales, Silverwater

As director of sales based in Sydney’s Silverwater office, Dennis is equally at home helping local installation managers at the trade counter with the cabling for their building site, as he is liaising with consultants and estimators who are tendering for some of Australia’s largest infrastructure and telecommunications projects.

And according to Dennis, it’s this unique ability to service customers and projects of all sizes that has allowed OSA to become Australia’s most recognised Communications, Networking and Security Distributor.

“I founded OSA back in 2002 with Mike not just because we both had a passion for (and experience in) distribution…

…but also, because we wanted to do things better.

“We wanted to not only meet, but to exceed our customers’ expectations across a multitude of industries, including the mining, utility, telecommunications, education, government, construction and enterprise market segments.”

Dennis prides himself on his nation-wide well-stocked, strategically-placed warehouses with easy access to airports and major roads, as well as his team of highly trained customer service and support teams who provide outstanding local market knowledge.

“We never compete with our accredited partners, installation managers or resellers. We allow them to add value and we work with them to do that. In fact, we provide training for our partners to further enhance their skill set.”

Dennis takes a very hands-on approach to his job. So much so that many of his customers he counts as good friends outside of work.

“We’re very client focused at OSA and I have enjoyed ongoing relationships with some customers for 25 years now.”

Richard Candrick

NSW State Manager

As State Manager of the only network solutions and distribution company in Australia with a research and development lab, Richard is proud that OSA is able to offer integration and installation partners innovative solutions.

“Our clients know they can trust us to deliver on our word. We’re extremely client focused at OSA and I love to not only meet, but constantly exceed, our customers’ expectations. I have a real passion for doing things right and leaving our customers truly delighted with the experience, time and time again.

OSA is willing to invest time and money into growth and opportunities for both our clients and for the staff. I’ve been put through many invaluable training courses, all of which continue to help me improve our service to our clients.”

As OSA’s NSW State Manager, Richard oversees the Silverwater and Sydney City branches. He really enjoys the ongoing contact he has with staff from other branches and his client base across NSW.

“Ongoing partnerships with our vendors and integrator partners are not only extremely important to me… they really are crucial to my success.”

Outside of work, Richard is very family oriented and loves hanging out with his nephews, as well as playing sports.

Matt Doxey

Account Manager, Silverwater

“Being involved in the development of purpose-built solutions is really exciting… watching the successful implementation of new technologies is one of the highlights of my job!”

Matt plays a vital role in supporting OSA clients. He is involved in all areas of project and account management. From quoting through to delivery, he is always focused on providing the most appropriate solutions for our clients… and it shows in the results he achieves.

“I really enjoy the business based relationships that I build… both with my clients and my colleagues.”

Music, meeting people and visiting new places are all passions for Matt, he’s always looking forward to his next trip. And, of course, taking care of new clients at OSA.

Jeremy McKay

Test & Measurement – Service Adviser

Jeremy services and calibrates EXFO and Sumitomo splicers and cleavers and other test and measure equipment. A born tech-lover, he enjoys learning all aspects of our products and the mathematics behind how things work.

“I love working with larger telco companies and seeing the scope of infrastructure. It’s always exciting to see how infrastructure is developing and changing, and finding new ways for us to better service our customers.”

Jeremy looks after our customers with technical support, whether it’s interpreting results or resolving any onsite issues. He also works closely with the sales department as he liaises with EXFO to bring our customers the most innovative testing solutions.

When Jeremy’s not at work, you’ll find him practising martial arts or working part-time with the Army Reserve.

Mauritz Smit

Business Development Manager

Mauritz has worked in the IT industry for over 37 years, with work experience in South Africa, United Kingdom, New Zealand and now 10 years in Australia.

Mauritz’s specialty area has been networking campus LAN, Wi-Fi and data centres for the past 23 years. He has a wealth of knowledge in network architecture, systems integration, security and management.

“I was attracted to work at OSA because of the people and the diverse range of products. Knowing some of the best engineers in the networking industry for many years and having the opportunity to work alongside them again is extremely exciting.”

He works with partners, integrators and end clients, assisting with turnkey design active networking solutions, bringing all systems together. He also assists partners responding to tenders and being their technical adviser.

In this area, Mauritz has experience with various vendors such as HPE/Aruba, Cisco Systems, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel Network, Fortinet and Palo Alto Networks.

“I love working with our vendors, partners and clients and building relationships with them and joining their journey to success. It is most exciting to know that I’ll be building lifelong friendships with the partners and clients I work with.”

Outside of work, Mauritz likes to keep busy playing and watching sports and spending time in the gym. He also likes to dabble in woodwork and metal works, making interesting creations.

Jerome Yap

Internal sales and warehousing

After a few years of honing his warehousing skills, Jerome joined OSA in September 2021.

Now working in internal sales and warehousing Jerome is very proud to be part of a national brand that delivers optimum level products, advice and customer service.

“It is fantastic working for a company that places such a high priority on customer service. I am in a great position to learn from highly experienced people and the opportunity to interact with customers and suppliers is very exciting,” says Jerome.

Jerome thrives in a hands-on learning environment and the fast pace of OSA enables him to think on his feet and continue to develop his problem-solving skills, whilst adding customer experience to his growing list of capabilities.

He values the interaction with customers and gains great satisfaction from assisting them to find the best solution to their various projects.

When not at work, Jerome enjoys the gym and playing competitive sports, especially basketball. He’s handy in the kitchen and takes on the cooking duties at home… and just like at home, he relishes the opportunities OSA provides to extend his level of responsibilities.

In the short term Jerome is focused on earning the trust of his customers and colleagues whilst continuing to learn more about the industry.

Australia’s Leading Network Solutions & Distribution Company