Pankaj Rana, business head, mobility division, Panasonic India, is responsible for leading business verticals such as sales, marketing, product and servicing for the division. He is focused on ensuring that the company gains 10 per cent of the smartphone market share in the next one year.

“The Indian handset market is very dynamic,” he notes. “New players are entering the market every day. Hardware prices are also coming down. It is indeed a growing market. However, customers still cannot be taken for granted because of the increasing awareness levels and the availability of multiple options in the market. It is this dynamic and challenging environment that keeps me going and remain motivated in my current role at Panasonic.”

With regard to the key trends dominating the handset market in India, Rana says he expects hardware component prices to continue to fall. Also, with online sales becoming popular, the industry will witness innovation not only on the product side but also on the marketing and servicing side. He foresees the demand for 4G-enabled handsets going up and India emerging as the biggest market for smartphones in terms of volumes.

Apart from Panasonic India, Rana has worked with organisations such as Reliance Digital, Ben Q and SGS, in areas such as business development and product management. He counts his passion for work and his never-say-die attitude as his key strengths. It is these two traits that keep him going in a high-stress environment. “Multitasking has never been an issue for me,” he says. “However, managing time is an area that I certainly need to focus on.”

As a leader, Rana believes that goals need to have well-defined objectives and timelines so as to ensure successful execution. Moreover, in order to be on top of the game, it is extremely important for the leader as well as the team to remain in alignment  with key developments in the industry.

Rana has a B.Tech degree in electronics from National Institute of Technology