Ajit Chaturvedi’s career choices have taken him across a range of different industries, making for a rich and diverse professional experience. He has worked in the FMCG, consultancy and telecom spaces with companies such as GE Appliances, PepsiCo, Accenture, Andersen Consulting and Bharti Airtel.

“I began my career with GE Appliances but soon moved to PepsiCo as I wanted to explore the durable goods sector which offered valuable lessons in strategy and marketing. Next, I moved to consultancy, but soon realised that I had only an advisory role, which had no direct bearing on the growth of the business. This prompted me to shift industries and eventually I got into the telecom sector,” he says.

Currently head of the mobility business unit for the Delhi and Rajasthan circles at Tata Teleservices Limited (TTSL), Chaturvedi is responsible for the operator’s business in these circles and is focused on leveraging CDMA technology for providing high speed data services to customers. According to him, globally, CDMA is recognised as a leading technology for providing high speed data services but in India, it is yet to be exploited fully. “With the technology evolution and launch of chipsets supporting different spectrum bands such as 800 MHz, 900 MHz and 1800 MHz, CDMA technology will eventually gain widespread acceptance as a leading platform for providing 3G and 4G services,” he says.

Focusing on another industry anomaly, Chaturvedi points out that voice tariffs in India are currently under-priced. However, going forward, he expects a price correction in these services.

Having worked with a number of organisations, Chaturvedi has handled several challenging assignments. However, he terms the launch of operations for TTSL in a highly competitive and crowded telecom market in 2009 as his most challenging and satisfying experience so far.

As a professional, he counts his ability to strategise and execute ideas effectively as his biggest strengths. For him, understanding the nuances of a project is a critical factor in carrying out a task successfully. As a leader, he believes in enabling his team to perform to the best of their ability.

Chaturvedi loves travelling and reading up on the cultural history of India and the world. His favourite authors include Ramachandra Guha, Aldous Huxley, Niall Campbell Douglas Ferguson and William Dalrymple.