Hitender Kumar, currently business head of Bihar circle at Aircel, has over 15 years of experience in the Indian telecom industry. Although he began his career in the IT industry, he went on to work with most of the major telecom operators, including Tata Teleservices Limited, Vodafone India, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications and Sistema Shyam TeleServices Limited.
Kumar believes that 2015 will be the year of “big bytes”, which will revolutionise how data is used by consumers. With the upcoming widespread launch of 4G services and the mobile ecosystem gearing up for the same, innovation in content will be the key driver. According to him, the internet of things will be another major trend in the industry, as all smart devices will be connected through the internet. “As these devices become extensions of the enterprise and mobile computing environments, there will be a huge opportunity in creating new experiences, operating efficiencies and business models to deliver much greater value through the improved utilisation of these physical assets, says Kumar.
At Aircel, Kumar is responsible for top line and market share growth, customer acquisition, and forecasting sales targets. He is also required to ensure network roll-outs with minimum payback periods as well as regulatory compliance. Some of the biggest challenges before him are controlling costs, restricting subscriber churn and staying competitive in the industry. “Being a manpower-intensive industry with significant sunk-in costs, it is imperative for us to control expenses so that investments can be made in new technologies,” he says.
The challenges notwithstanding, Kumar enjoys working in the telecom industry. He counts his current job at Aircel as his most memorable experience. “We turned EBITDA-positive, despite the Bihar circle having the lowest penetration in the country at 51 per cent,” he says. Kumar reckons that this success, coupled with the company’s 3G and 4G spectrum holding, will help make Aircel an “aggressively challenging player” in the coming years.
He describes his management approach as a blend of three styles – authoritative, democratic and guidance-oriented - as the situation demands. Kumar likes to spend his spare time browsing the internet and listening to music. He also enjoys travelling for official and personal reasons, as well as spending time with his wife, Puja, and their daughters, Anwita and Ankita.