Sandeep Yadav currently heads Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited’s (SSTL) data business and is responsible for the profitability of this segment. This entails overseeing all aspects of the business, from sales to customer experience.

To meet the demands of his job, Yadav favours a hands-on approach while giving his team considerable leeway in terms of authority and space. “By giving the team a sense of authority and belonging, the results will surely be much better,” he says.

Though relatively new to the position (he took over only three months ago), Yadav has a clear idea of the challenges and targets before him. He says, “Over the next one year, I plan to invest my time gaining a deeper understanding of the segment. I am looking forward to acquiring new skills in order to meet the challenges presented by the data business.”

Elaborating on SSTL’s data business, Yadav says, “We are primarily focusing on the dongle business. This segment may well be considered our forte, especially since we are a CDMA operator. However, from the mobility point of view, the handset ecosystem in the CDMA space still presents a challenge. Nonetheless, we have worked on building our handset portfolio and today have eight very competitively priced smartphones. We are trying to carve a niche for ourselves in this space.”

The company, clearly, is geared up to meet the expected increase in industry demand for data services. “Data consumption in the country will grow by 80 per cent by 2016, as per various industry studies,” says Yadav. “Currently, customers are primarily using data for the large screen; however, with smartphones gaining ground, data consumption would be equally divided between the large screen and the small screen. Ultimately, the majority of data consumption would take place on phones.”

Yadav’s innings in the telecom sector began in 1997. Prior to that, he worked with the ITC chain of hotels after obtaining a degree in hospitality and management. Explaining the shift, Yadav says, “I realised that telecom was one of the sunrise industries in the country. My first stint in the sector was with OSS Cellular and happened quite by accident. An informal interaction with a Canadian lady, the chief operating officer (COO) of OSS Cellular, turned out to be more constructive than expected. I ended up working with the operator in Rajasthan.”

Thereafter, Yadav went on to work with Hutch as vice-president of the company’s operations in central and north Gujarat, and then joined SSTL as COO of its Rajasthan circle.

Yadav enjoys playing cricket and golf, and usually spends his spare time with his daughter and son.