As president and business head of GTL Infrastructure, Rupinder Singh Ahluwalia is responsible for all aspects of the business, including customer acquisition, retention and revenue generation.

An engineering graduate from Delhi University and a fellow of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers, Ahluwalia has over 24 years of varied experience. He has worked in areas such as sales, marketing, business development and transition in the IT and ITeS segments. Prior to his current stint at GTL Infrastructure, he was country manager at CINCOM Systems India, responsible for its operations in the Indian subcontinent, SAARC and the Middle East. He also worked as sales director with Simoco International (formerly Philips Telecommunications India), as national manager with Crompton Greaves and as head of business development with Tata Telecom (formerly Tata Keltron).

Ahluwalia sees his current job with GTL Infrastructure as his most memorable yet. The company provides telecom infrastructure  and effective delivery of services to operators, relieving them of their pain points and thus enabling them to focus on their core competence of customer acquisition.

Ahluwalia’s training with the Indian Air Force proves useful in meeting the challenges of his job. “The time one spends in uniform teaches one the value of discipline. I am a strong proponent of discipline, both in my professional and personal life.  Time is valuable and the minimum commitment one can make to another person is punctuality,” he comments.

Another interesting skill he picked up at the time is the ability to assess people. “As a soldier, you are taught to size up the person in front of you, to read their personality and pick up on their weaknesses and strengths. While interviewing someone, I do not stick to a pre-defined checklist but assess the person’s confidence and conviction. I am happy to say this methodology has not failed me so far.” Ahluwalia considers his team his biggest asset. “People are vital components of any organisation’s machinery. I believe in interacting with the team constantly and chalking out a strategy,” he says.

Going forward, he says the main target before the company is to ensure a consistent increase in tower tenancies. “This can be done provided the existing environment in telecom improves and the government lends a helping hand,” he says.

Ahluwalia likes to spend his spare time with his family – his wife, two sons and parents. He enjoys listening to music, especially Punjabi folk music. He also enjoys watching action and war movies, and travelling. “Travelling, both for leisure and work, is a major stress buster,” he says.