For Udit Shanker, chief executive officer (CEO) of TeleDNA Communications, an important task at hand is to ensure that the company stays abreast of changing market dynamics in the value-added services (VAS) domain. “It is our vision to ensure that TeleDNA understands these changes and continues to add new products to keep customer excitement alive. While TeleDNA is already a strong VAS player, we wish to be recognised as the most responsive and most respected organisation by our customers. Our target, moreover, is to expand our reach into Africa, the Middle East and the Asia-Pacific,” says Shanker.

An alumnus of BITS Pilani and the S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research, Shanker has a strong background in marketing and sales. Over the years, he has developed an in-depth knowledge of the telecom industry with specific focus on the VAS segment. According to him, 4G is emerging as a key focus area as operators pay special attention to data services and revenue growth. Going forward, the VAS landscape in the country will evolve with the introduction of various applications that can be used by enterprises and end-users. He explains, “Once the networks become completely LTE-enabled, the focus of data applications would be on video streaming and social networking.”

Prior to TeleDNA, Shanker worked with Acision as vice-president, South West Asia, and was responsible for defining and executing strategies for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Pakistan. In the past he has worked with Norsk Data, the ICI Group, Bharti Airtel and Avaya Global Connect.

Shanker recalls the launch of Airtel’s fixed line business in Karnataka as one of his most memorable work assignments. “I was responsible for launching services in Karnataka (excluding Bengaluru). The assignment gave me a great opportunity to travel within the state, interact with various senior government officials, work with technical teams, recruit and train channel partners for territory coverage, and eventually sell telephone lines to end-consumers.”

On the personal front, Shanker says he likes playing sports such as golf, squash and badminton. He also enjoys going on vacations with family and friends. “I like to take as many vacations as possible, even if they are short trips,” he says. Shanker lives in Bengaluru with his wife, a qualified designer, two daughters and retired parents.