John Samuel was visiting the capital for meetings on 13 July, 2011, the day the three bomb blasts rocked Mumbai, where he is based. Having lived in the city on and off for many years, he can testify its resilience. ?My teams and employees were unaffected and are at work. My daughter has gone to school. So it?s the same resilience as we have seen in earlier crises. But on the other hand, it is very sad. The media showed the injured being taken to hospital in trucks. Why can?t we have better infrastructure so that victims are carried in ambulances? People pay taxes but this is what they get. In terms of security and infrastructure, the Mumbai administration needs to get moving,? he says.
It upsets him that the world would have watched these pictures, which didn?t reflect the image of our country as an emerging superpower. ?We need to act like an efficient organisation, both because we value human life and because we should project a strong image to the outside world,? he says.
In the course of his 20 years of experience in management, sales and training, Samuel has lived in many Indian cities, but it is his hometown of Hyderabad to which he is emotionally attached. However, Mumbai has gradually grown on him.
He likes his assignment as president, India at Verizon Business so much that he says that every day is like the start of a new year. What motivates him the most is the way the company?s customers have grown and how Verizon has grown with them.
?We have moved from being a telecom supplier to being partners. I?m passionate about engaging with customers, understanding their priorities and helping them focus on their priorities through designing solutions. The growth of the Indian economy is also an important factor. The opportunities are huge,? he says.
Samuel is aware of the current issues in some circles at the policy level, inflation and poor decision making but believes that these issues have been blown out of proportion. He admits there are challenges in doing business in India, particularly for foreign companies, but thinks that once these initial difficulties have been overcome, the market has great potential.
If, as some reports suggest, large Indian companies invest in foreign markets because of the ?easier? climate overseas, it is good news for Verizon. Samuel says that if Indian companies are active in these markets, they will prefer to deal with a company like Verizon because it has both global and local capabilities, and is the perfect partner.
?For us, the growth of Indian multinationals is a great opportunity. They know we understand them from our experience here and that they can rely on us because of our global capabilities. So if they are in a new market and are looking to integrate new systems, we can help them,? he says.
His responsibilities at Verizon include increasing the customer base and revenues as well as ensuring a strong market presence. Verizon?s product portfolio includes security and IT solutions, and consultancy services. Within the few years of its existence in India, the company has carved a niche for itself. Samuel says that Verizon plans to focus more on cloud computing and move towards the ?everything-as-a-service? concept.
Samuel has been involved with the company from the very beginning ? the day Verizon applied for a licence in 2008, deployed its networks and hired people to form dedicated teams.
When asked about his most satisfying assignment, Samuel unhesitatingly says, ?Verizon, and not just because it is my current job?. He says that it has been a fantastic experience to grow from communication solutions such as the internet, MPLS networks and international private link circuits to complete managed IT solutions, for which the company has a global data link.
?This helps us meet the requirements of multinational enterprises by supporting them across the communication, IT solutions, security and professional service segments,? he says.
He has tripled the size of his team, expanded the customer base far beyond foreign multinationals to the IT, BPO, financial service, and pharmaceutical segments, and is making inroads into the government sector as well because of the growing importance of security services.
Prior to joining Verizon Business, Samuel was country manager, India at BT Infonet India, a global managed data network solution provider. At BT Infonet, he was responsible for the launch of services in the Indian market and for building a local sales and support team of more than 80 people.
Prior to this, he was country manager, India at Gemplex, a global managed service provider. Here too, he was responsible for setting up the company?s business in India. ?This included securing the necessary approvals from the government and obtaining an internet service provider licence,? he says.
In the past, Samuel has successfully established partnerships with Wipronet and Hughes Telecom, and a pan-Indian alliance with VSNL. In addition, he has helped train more than 100 sales executives of its partners for selling high-value global enterprise solutions.
Throughout his career, he has been a ?people?s person?, thoroughly enjoying being with people, helping them develop their abilities and getting the best out of them. He thinks this attribute of his personality comes from his school days ? he was consistently an all-rounder, the class topper, captain of various sports teams, school prefect, etc. ?I think this period laid the foundation for my association with friends and people later. I have realised that people are your biggest asset and help you achieve your objectives,? he says.
During his school days, his parents groomed him for the Indian Administrative Service, but he chose the private sector instead after completing his postgraduation in management studies from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies at the University of Mumbai. In the past, he has worked as a member of the institute?s placement committee. He has also completed courses in advertising and public relations from the Loyola School of Communications.
As an outgoing person who likes being with his team and meeting customers, he is not so keen on being tied to a desk working on spreadsheets and writing reports. Meeting customers requires him to travel for half of the month. Waiting at airports and passing endless security checks are the ?necessary evils? because it is important for him to meet customers.
But once he is on the plane, he does not take out his laptop and start working. He prefers to use that quiet period of solitude to ruminate on issues and strategise. ?When else do you get a couple of hours without any interruption or calls in the course of a normal day?? he asks.
He admires Verizon?s ?work hard, party harder? culture. It is a culture that is based on passion and focus. His colleagues in other Verizon offices often tell him that the India office is a model to follow. ?I?ve managed to reduce attrition levels from double digits to the lower side of single digits,? he says.
He, however, believes that the overall work culture in India needs some improvement, which includes more commitment and greater respect for deadlines. Experience has taught him that it is always best to have a plan B in place in case the company?s partners fail to meet the deadlines.
When not working, Samuel enjoys reading, primarily non-fiction, and spending time with his wife Nellie and 12-year old daughter Siyona. The rest of his spare time is spent on church-related activities, particularly in working with underprivileged children. Samuel helps a school for homeless children in Mumbai and also contributes to a church school for 300 tribal children in Orissa. His contribution to church projects has been focused on improving their efficiency as well as raising funds for them.
What inspires him is the chance to lift a whole generation out of the primordial poverty and shift them to another trajectory by providing training on mechanics, plumbing, electricity-related operations, etc. ?When I see street children tapping at my windscreen at traffic lights, I realise that we have to take care of an entire generation so that they also have a chance to enjoy some comfort and prosperity,? he says.
