Badri Sanjeevi, chief executive officer (CEO) of Mauj Mobile, believes that achieving academic excellence sets the tone for success in one?s career. ?I come from a middle-class background, my father was a Class I officer in the government. For the family, obtaining a sound education was a priority, which drove us to do our best in every task we undertook.?
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Sanjeevi acquired a bachelor?s degree from Madras University in 1994. He is a chartered accountant by qualification and also obtained an MBA from the INSEAD Business School in Fontainbleau, France.
Thereafter, he decided to tread the well-worn family path of becoming a chartered accountant. ?Typically, a young chartered accountant has two choices, to either start his own firm or become a partner in a well-established company,? he comments.
He chose the latter and joined Arthur Andersen in India. He has 18 years of experience in finance, and advising media and telecom companies on corporate strategy, and has been responsible for devising corporate strategy, driving business performance and ensuring operational excellence. During the course of his career, he has worked with companies such as Deutsche Bank, T-Mobile UK Limited and Deloitte MCS Limited in the UK. Over time, he says that the excitement of working as a consultant wore off and he wanted to shift from professional services to business management. Thus began his innings with Mauj Mobile. He joined the People Group, Mauj Mobile?s parent company as chief financial officer (CFO). A year and a half ago, he took over as chief operating officer before assuming his current position.
Today, he plays the dual roles of CFO and CEO. As CFO of the company, he is responsible for all the financial activities of the People Group, while as the CEO, he drives the company?s growth in the domestic and international markets. He also has to ensure that Mauj meets the requirements of clients, which include telecom operators, media companies and agencies.
Despite a hectic schedule, Sanjeevi manages to maintain a balance between work and leisure. He says that the company adheres to a five-day working week. Occasionally, the workdays may run into 11 or 12 hours. ?Working insane hours does not necessarily encourage productivity and we encourage our employees to take offs,? he remarks.
Sanjeevi himself enjoys taking mini-breaks with his family and participating in marathons. He is partial to places by the sea, such as Goa and the Maldives; his last trip was to Coorg with his family.
