K. Jayaraman, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), Hathway Cable and Datacom Limited, has been with the company for the past 15 years. Under his leadership, Hathway’s cable and satellite connections have increased from less than 500,000 homes to almost 10 million. He has also been instrumental in the company foraying into the broadband, digital cable and HD service segments.
Jayaraman has been associated with the broadband and allied services market for several years. Talking about industry trends, he says, “The meteoric growth in the broadband industry has been due to the support of the telecom sector and the initiatives taken by the government for enhancing internet penetration.”
However, he adds that the segment has not maximised its potential yet owing to the lack of adequate infrastructure for fixed line broadband services. He is optimistic that in the future, the segment will witness strong growth as a result of network expansions and upgrades.
Increasing demand for bandwidth is likely to be a major factor driving the growth of the telecom sector, says Jayaraman. “At present, there is no better alternative to optical fibre technologies for providing broadband connectivity. The demand for high quality broadband services is growing in India. Consumers are looking forward to newer options and innovations, but wireline is still the preferred option for consistent, high performance and speedy data connectivity.”
A chartered accountant by qualification, Jayaraman started his career as an audit officer with Lovelock and Lewes. Thereafter, he worked in various capacities in the finance and credit functions with organisations such as ICICI Limited, Citicorp Securities Limited, the R. Raheja Group and H&R Johnson (Tiles) Limited.
Jayaraman’s personal as well as professional actions have been driven by the conviction that one should always have a vision and work towards its fulfilment; one should not feel overwhelmed by challenges and instead should be able to convert these to one’s advantage.
He also holds the view that the organisation can play an instrumental role in employee development. He elaborates, “Hathway is one of the largest cable TV service providers in the country and provides an excellent platform for its employees to learn and excel in the field of communications, entertainment and cable TV technology. Our continuous learning process is built around focused employee development and personal improvement programmes.” As a leader, he believes in giving a free hand to employees in their work.
Jayaraman’s leisure activities include sports, reading and tracking the stock market.