Coming from an army background has helped instil a rigid sense of discipline in Anupinder Singh, a trait he applies inside the boardroom as well as outside it. A disciplined approach helps in meeting the challenges before him, the biggest being to ensure the company holds its own against incumbent operators. “Meeting customer expectations is our top priority. Our subscribers expect our network to be at par with that of incumbent operators, who have built their network over 10-15 years,” he says.

Although it is a daunting task, Videocon Telecom has made significant progress on this front, he says. “We have almost doubled our network coverage since our comeback in January 2013. However, there is still a long way to go. The dynamics of the telecom market change rapidly and achieving short-term success has no meaning. We are looking at creating a success story that can be sustained over a longer period of time,” Singh emphasises.

As circle business head of the company’s Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh service areas, Singh has his plate full. “As head of a profit centre, my aim is to make this circle EBITDA positive as soon as possible. We have chalked out a well-defined road map to reach this goal,” he says.

Singh has over 20 years of work experience across the IT and telecom industries. He ventured into the telecom space when it was still at a nascent stage. “I learnt a lot about the business by being a part of this industry when it went through various stages of transformation.” Singh has worked with several organisations in the telecom space. He joined Videocon Telecom three years ago and led the team that successfully launched its mobile services in the Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circles.

He counts his stint at Spice Communications as his most memorable, as he was a part of the organisation since its inception. “I obtained first-hand experience as part of the team responsible for launching an organisation, setting up the entire distribution channel and recruiting a sales team to run its operations smoothly. Later, when other operators launched services in Punjab, framing proactive and reactive strategies to counter competition and sustain our leadership position were a daily challenge,” he reminisces.

Singh enjoys involving himself in social work. A former state-level tennis and badminton player, he wishes he had time to play the game; however, given the brisk pace of work in the telecom space, he hardly has any time to spare.