Anil Gogate divides his career into three phases ? the army, telecom sector and, in the future, leading developmental projects in rural India. He served in the Army Corps of Signals with distinction for 23 years before retiring prematurely in early 2002 to move to the telecom space. He has worked in the telecom sector for over 30 years so far, with 15 years in the IT industry.
He has worked in capacities such as chief technology officer of a leading operator and head of a telecom infrastructure company and an MNC operator.
Looking back, he says his tenure as commanding officer of the Signals regiment was the most memorable. ?We were given the task of providing telecom, IT and electronic warfare support in counterterrorist operations. It tested my leadership and management abilities to a degree I had never imagined,? he says.
His current role is equally challenging, with ambitious targets being planned. ?Today, our company has perhaps the highest key performance indicators (KPIs) among independent tower companies. By end-2010-11, our portfolio consisted of over 1,000 towers with a tenancy of 1.56. Keeping in mind future prospects, our promoters and the management have decided to upgrade the portfolio to 4,000-5,000 towers through organic and inorganic means, by 2012,? says Gogate.
As part of this growth plan, the company has initiated the process of merging with another tower company. ?A merger is always a challenging business phase, in terms of handling unusual situations and the people involved. The prospect of being in the market with the renewed vigour of a merged entity will encourage our stakeholders, particularly our customers and employees. The target is to ensure a successful merger and quickly achieve robust operating levels as well as retain the level of KPIs,? he says.
His responsibility is to establish a strong operational platform for the merged entity, grow the company organically, and meet the expectations of promoters and shareholders.
And what tools does he use to achieve these tasks? ?Successfully handling situations and people has been my forte. I have come across combinations ranging from being dangerously violent, hopeless and helpless to being stupid, overly sensitive and tricky. In some situations, my priorities could unknowingly tilt towards people?s interests rather than business interests.?
Gogate loves to spend his spare time with his family, friends and relatives.
