For Daniel Mountstephan, expanding Avaya’s footprint across the Asia-Pacific region was a memorable experience. “Even though this assignment meant many late nights and early starts, it was hugely satisfying to see a business launch in 14 countries,” he says. Not one to rest on his laurels, he is now gearing up for his next big challenge: carving a niche for Avaya’s video-based product portfolio in India. “We have registered significant growth across all our business segments in India. We’re now looking to build a video and collaboration business here.”

What kind of demand does he expect to see for such products? “We expect significant uptake by mid-sized enterprises,” he says. “An interesting trend witnessed among companies is the rapid adoption of technologies that facilitate collaboration to streamline operations. In particular, customers in India prefer face-to-face communication, but network-related challenges and expensive tools have limited the scope for this kind of communication.” So, what role does the company expect to play in this context? “Avaya’s solutions are aimed at removing those barriers by providing free products that can be downloaded by the client. These are designed to be deployed using a minimum amount of bandwidth. These trends are already driving growth for the company globally and we hope to replicate that success on domestic shores as well,” he says.

Mountstephan has several years of experience behind him. His career started at Touchbase, a systems integration company, where he rose through the ranks to become an equity partner. Thereafter, he was approached by Cisco to head its print media and publishing vertical, as part of the company’s services, transport retail and media team. While  working with Cisco, he shifted base to Singapore and later moved to Avaya. Currently based in India, he heads the firm’s video collaboration business.

With regard to his personal strengths and weaknesses, he says persistence, an analytical outlook and vast experience in sales have helped him hugely through his career. However, he admits that striking a balance between his professional and personal lives doesn’t come easily to him. “I strive to achieve a balance but don’t always succeed,” he says wryly.

Despite a packed workday, he ensures he gets time for a run. “I am a marathon runner, so going for a daily run is a big part of my life. A healthy mind in a healthy body is my motto. Also, Sundays are absolute no-laptop days. This is driven largely by my wife.”