Shubhodip Pal, COO, YU Televentures
Shubhodip Pal has over 18 years of experience in launching, building and managing brands. As the chief operating officer of Yu Televentures, a subsidiary of domestic handset manufacturer Micromax, Pal is tasked with giving impetus to the brand YU. “I have been tasked with strengthening the company’s organisational capabilities and connecting the users to their devices through meaningful service integration,” he explains. Yu started operations in December 2014 and within a short span, the brand has been able to establish a place for itself in a cluttered handset space. Pal’s challenge is to continue the momentum and maintain the high standards.
He began his career with Samsung India Electronics, where he worked in different roles for over nine years. He subsequently moved to ABN AMRO and then Hewlett-Packard (HP). In the past, he has also been associated with mobile messaging company BLYK India, and Aircel.
Pal is of the view that the telecom sector is currently the centre of growth, particularly in India. “With the world steadily shifting online, connected devices, internet of things, m-payments, etc. have gained traction. The future trends, therefore, lie in integrating services and simplifying the basic day-to–day tasks for the consumer,” he says.
He cherishes his time with all the brands he has been associated with throughout his career. According to Pal, “Each assignment has brought with it newness and immense learning. When I joined HP, it was in a B2B space and the task at hand was to make it a known name in the consumer space as well. It was an exciting time and for getting the basics right, HP’s brand equity had to be leveraged in a larger space. With Micromax, too, the opportunity was exciting and building a brand in a space that was occupied with global biggies was interesting.”
Pal says that the telecom space is always buzzing. “One has to keep thinking and observing. The chaos that the industry offers needs organised thinking. My strength is organising this chaos into meaningful campaigns.” Pal likes to take quick decisions. “I enjoy working with people, listening to new ideas. I like my team to be nimble and agile, and push them enough to achieve what they should,” he says.
Pal is married and has a son. He spends his free time with his family and playing golf, a game that requires determination, concentration and commitment, according to Pal.
