Sanjay Kumar Kalirona heads the mobile business division of Intex and has been with the company for over 15 years. His experience ranges from strategic business planning and sales and marketing to channel development and distribution. In his present role, Kalirona’s responsibility is to ensure that the business grows profitably while meeting stakeholder requirements. “In the past three years, Intex Technologies has grown by at least 100 per cent on a year-on-year basis, positioning the brand among the top three handset players in India. The mobile business division has been the main driver, accounting for nearly 75 per cent of the company’s revenues. The challenge now is to sustain the momentum and increase it further by being responsive to customer demands,” he says.

Kalirona notes that the telecom industry is very dynamic and is changing rapidly. “Smartphones have become an affordable option for the masses,” says Kalirona. “With data and internet leading to the next wave of growth and 4G/long term evolution becoming a reality, I feel that big-screen smartphones (5.5-6 inch screens), accompanied by the looks and performance, need to be brought into the affordable segment.”

While he believes that every new challenge brings a new level of excitement, launching the Intex iRiSt, an Android-based smartwatch, brought a different kind of an adrenaline rush. With iRiSt, the company has ventured into the wearable devices segment. “Apart from smartphones, the next big thing is wearable devices. Smartwatch and smart bands are innovations that are beyond the regular features. They are integrating devices to make communication and information sharing better, and provide analytical tools to take care of users’ health and fitness,” he explains. The company launched the smartwatch at an event in Shanghai, thus taking a major step towards marking the brand’s presence globally.

Kalirona values hard work, commitment and sincerity towards work. He also believes that patience and a single-minded focus on goals are essential ingredients for success. His management style involves achieving the right balance between work orientation and people orientation, as both are important and cannot survive in isolation.