Aasheesh Verma?s passion for technology goes back many years to his younger days. ?As a young boy, I was fond of reading science and technology journals. I used to spend hours in the library, mulling over articles in Scientific America. Airplanes always fascinated me and I aspired to become an aircraft engineer. Building airplanes and experimenting with new technologies was my idea of a perfect career,? he recalls.
He didn?t quite end up building planes, but he did manage to build a successful (if not ?perfect?) career in the corporate sector. Today, he has close to 25 years of experience in different industries including office automation, satellite data space and telecom.
Verma, who has an engineering degree with a specialisation in electronics and telecommunications, has worked in the telecom space for 12 years. He started his career in the enterprise segment at Micrographics India and represented US-based InterPacket Inc. in India. He also worked with HFCL and Tata Teleservices Limited. He joined Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited (SSTL) early this year. As COO of the company?s Andhra Pradesh circle, his top priority today is making the circle?s operations viable. ?My biggest challenge is to ensure that SSTL obtains substantial market share in the circle. We have so far made rapid strides in the data segment and need to replicate the same in the voice space,? he says. This necessitates expansion of the existing distribution systems and changes in the marketing strategy.
The company is confident of achieving the goals it has set for itself. According to Verma, SSTL has been able to make a substantial dent in terms of market share in the CDMA space. This, according to him, speaks volumes about the company?s approach to business.
?SSTL has brought in a high level of professionalism in the Indian telecom space,? he remarks. ?Its working style is transparent and open to suggestions, and is therefore open to faster adaptation than others. Also, a fair level of empowerment exists in the rank and file of the organisation.?
Verma likes to maintain a balance between work and life, which is sometimes difficult he admits. He spends most of his spare time with his family, playing cricket or football with his sons or helping them with school work. ?I also like going on vacations with my extended family. We had a wonderful trip to Singapore recently,? he says.
Meanwhile, his love for science has endured through the years. He is a big fan of science fiction movies. He also enjoys movies directed by Costa-Gavras. As far as authors go, his personal favourite is Michael Crichton
