Rao has more than 15 years of industry experience in consumer marketing and brand building. Over the years, he has handled a gamut of responsibilities as a functional specialist and in top management and leadership roles. He is currently director, brand and media, with MTS India. In this capacity, he is responsible for the branding and marketing activities related to the MTS brand and media at the national level and across circles. He oversees brand strategy, sponsorships and media, market intelligence and research, as well as digital marketing for the brand.

The biggest challenge before Rao is to establish MTS as a strong and enduring brand. He is focused on achieving this goal by following a differentiated, single-minded proposition, which is aimed at driving various facets of the business including brand positioning, product offerings and service delivery, internal value systems, market-facing communication and marketing propositions.

He is confident that his past experience with strong consumer brands as well as running business units with large teams will come in handy in establishing MTS as a strong brand in the country. Further, to advance MTS in India, he will draw upon his experience in marketing, innovation, communication and general management across the FMCG and IT sectors.

Rao believes that his strong educational background and rich range of professional experience have provided him an excellent perspective and holistic viewpoint about work and the people around him. He calls himself a positive person with a creative bent of mind. He also prides himself on his leadership skills, which he says help him manage people effectively in cross-cultural environments.

Rao, who has done an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, and has a bachelor’s in economics from Delhi University, advocates a transparent and inclusive style of working. He believes in developing individuals by promoting their strengths and skills. “In order to bring the best out of individuals, I give them freedom and responsibility in equal measure,” he says. “I encourage them to come up with ideas.”