Deepak Kabu comes with nearly two decades of experience in the handset industry. He started his career with Intex Technologies, where he worked for about 15 years before joining Ziox Mobiles as chief executive officer (CEO). At Ziox, he is responsible for all management decisions, setting strategic goals for the company and ensuring that these are measurable and achievable.
Today, Ziox Mobiles is ranked amongst the top five mobile brands in India. However, maintaining its brand position amidst changing industry and consumption trends is fairly challenging. “Consumers have various and diverse demands. They want a number of tech specifications to be met, but at affordable prices,” says Kabu.
To overcome this challenge, the company is laying strong emphasis on innovation and is focusing more actively on after-sales service. Ziox aims to capture 5-6 per cent share of the Indian market in 2018-19. “We will focus on entry-level phones as around 15-20 per cent of the population is still not using a smartphone,” he says.
“India emerged as the world’s fastest growing smartphone market in 2017. Innovative technologies, growing smartphone adoption and greater internet penetration defined the market trends during the year,” Kabu notes. “Going forward, growth in the country’s internet segment is expected to come from Tier II and Tier III cities, fuelled by the availability of low-cost smartphones, low data tariff plans and the development of smart cities. After 4G, internet of things (IoT) will define the next steps of our digital revolution.”
Kabu strongly believes in teamwork and sees it as the formula for success. Recognising the skills of key team members and utilising their strengths for the benefit of the team are the key aspects of his management style.
Kabu is an electronics and communications engineer with an MBA in sales and marketing. A self-proclaimed workaholic, he says that he has work on his mind most of the time. That said, he loves sports and likes to play badminton and tennis.
He is also fond of reading. “When work gets very hectic, I find that browsing web pages and blogs can be a source of relaxation ,” he says. Kabu’s family comprises his parents, his wife and a son, who, he says, is a bundle of energy that keeps them all going.
