As regional manager, north, Aircel Limited, Anil Gupta is responsible for driving the business to make the region a profit centre and contribute to the Aircel brand. Talking about Aircel?s business strategy and focus areas, he says, ?The company is looking at rationalising costs to increase profit margins. Data and youth will continue to remain Aircel?s key focus areas in 2013. The country is on the cusp of a data revolution and Aircel will take the lead in redefining user experience by launching more innovative and value-for-money products ? like we did in 2012 by introducing PocketBuddies and Pocket Internet Games. As a new-age brand, we will drive business and build brand affinity by focusing on the youth.?
On the challenges facing the sector, Gupta says that all operators are dealing with high operational costs ? be it on energy, infrastructure or licence fees ? leading to low returns on investments. He points out that it is becoming increasingly difficult for operators to survive given the low tariffs and rising operational costs. ?From the business point of view, the industry is facing severe margin pressures and is looking for alternative sources of revenue generation. In this regard, in 2013, the industry will witness an increased focus on value-added services (VAS), which will enhance user experience by providing that something extra,? he says.
A commerce graduate from the Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi, Gupta also has an MBA in marketing from the Leeds Business School, UK. He has expertise in strategic market planning, sales execution and profit centre management. He started his career with the Shriram Group and went on to work as an adviser in an IT company in the US before returning to India. He then worked with companies like Reliance Communications and Idea Cellular.
Among his many assignments, he finds his stint with Aircel as the most challenging and memorable. He says, ?I was associated with Aircel even before it launched operations in Delhi. Despite being a new operator in the competitive Delhi market, today Aircel is placed sixth.?
Gupta describes himself as a people?s manager who wants to build people-led partnerships for better business delivery. ?I am an energetic leader and go all out to encourage my team to deliver their best,? he says. ?Customer focus, teamwork and decision-making are my key strengths. However, my weakness is that at times I get impatient and want to do a number of things at the same time.?
In his spare time, Gupta enjoys reading. He also likes to spend time with his family: his wife Geeta and two girls.
