In his younger days, A.P. Sriram was clear that he did not want to be part of the corporate rat race. With time, however, that view changed. ?I was always fascinated with engines and machines and wanted to become a locomotive driver, but I guess destiny had other plans for me,” he says.
Nevertheless, he has no regrets. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in business management, he started his career in the FMCG space. The first of his many assignments was with ITC, after which he worked with brands like Wrigley’s, Pepsi and Tiffany Foods. He was responsible for the sales, distribution, order planning and management functions at these organisations.
After 10 years in this sector, Sriram moved to telecom, beginning with Bharti Airtel, where he was responsible for sales and marketing operations in the Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh circles. Thereafter, he worked as circle chief operating officer (COO) with RCOM and Loop Telecom, before moving to TATA DOCOMO, where he is now COO, Kolkata and Rest of West Bengal.
He considers launching the DOCOMO brand as his most memorable assignment to date. He says, ?Right from launching the brand and selecting the right people to providing the company with governance mechanisms and watching the seed grow over time gives me great satisfaction. It’s almost like seeing one’s child grow.”?
Of course, the challenges are many, the biggest being the ability to stand apart in the face of stiff competition. ?Today the challenge is to offer more affordable, convenient and customised offerings, and identify a larger, more diverse user segment,”he says. ?DOCOMO, being a new entrant, had to competitively mark its position in the market. Today, our services are available in over 2,500 towns and remote villages across West Bengal. Our customers recognise us as a refreshing telecom player that has come out with a series of firsts in the industry.”
Going forward, he believes that the value-added services (VAS) segment will be vital. He says, ?VAS are poised for exponential growth with the introduction of 3G services, which will enable operators to offer wireless services with higher data capabilities, better download speeds, and other convergent applications. 3G will be a strong catalyst in enhancing data services.”
