Venugopal Rao Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, PACE Power Systems

Venugopal Rao, managing director and chief executive officer, PACE Power Sys­tems, is a techno-commercial professional with over two de­­cades of industry experience in building and leading tele­communication and power technology businesses.

He started the PACE Gr­oup in 2001, and the company has since grown into a leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM), supplier, operations and maintenance service provider and energy management solutions provider for tower companies and operators. It has operations in In­dia, Africa, Myanmar and Ban­­gladesh. The company offers customised solutions and services to telecom companies, tower companies, network equipment vendors (OEMs), service providers, solar integrators, banks, pet­roleum companies, and government enterprises in India and Africa.

“We are into products, solutions and services, including energy management. This is unique and no other company is currently offering all these services as a single provider,” says Rao. “The Indian telecom industry is dynamic and the competition is huge. Constant improvement and innovative practices are the demand of the hour. The introduction of innovative products and solutions using state-of-the-art technology and cost-effective solutions are the major contributions of PACE to the telecom industry.”

Rao sees bright business prospects emerging from the evolving 4G landscape in India. “4G growth is promising and we will see an increase in the expansion of 4G network towers and related products and services. We are working on a 4G-en­abled ground-based mast project. The concept is new in In­dia and only a few companies are currently developing it.”

Commenting on his management style, Rao says “I have a good team handling each function; I guide them to enhance their performance with regular reviews and support. We are a flat organisation with good understanding bet­ween cross-functions.”

Rao is a graduate in engineering and has a postgraduate deg­ree in management. He is also a member of the Power Solutions Society of the Asia-Pacific region.

Most of his spare time is spent with his family. “We are a family of four members,” he says. “My wife Padma is a home­maker. My son Rajiv is an engineering graduate and is currently working with Price­waterhouse­Coopers. My dau­gh­ter Lahari is studying in the eighth grade.”