Sharad Mehrotra, head of branding, distribution and retail at Uninor, counts building the company’s brand in the overcrowded telecom space as an important career milestone. “Competing in the league of big players and building relationships with my colleagues and industry leaders  has been an exciting journey,” he says.

However, he believes this is just the tip of the iceberg and there are many other exciting challenges ahead of him. “My main focus is on sustaining Uninor’s growth momentum, both in terms of revenues and subscribers, and taking it to the next level. My aim is to ensure that we are among the top five players in each circle we are present in. Ultimately, everyone within the organisation has a common goal, to achieve EBITDA break even within three years of launching services,” he says. “A strong focus on maintaining low acquisition costs is an important part of meeting such an aggressive break-even target. His division is focused on building Uninor’s sales distribution and retail channel, besides ensuring the brand is properly positioned in the market.

Mehrotra brings to Uninor over two decades of experience in the telecom sector, of which the latter half was spent managing the operations of various companies at the macro and micro levels. He joined Uninor in 2009, when it first entered the Indian telecom space. Prior to that, he worked with Aircel, where he headed the company’s east India operations. He was earlier director of sales and marketing at Ericsson India.

Mehrotra does not follow a particular style of management. “I just follow my instinct to do the right thing, as demanded by the situation,” he says. Speed and action are of essence, and faith in his team is a given. “I emphasise on action and the ability to show speed and agility on the ground. I am a firm believer in what people can do,” he says.

Interestingly, despite spending over two decades understanding the nuances of the telecom industry, this sector was never his first career choice. “As a child, I aspired to be in the Indian Foreign Service and wished to travel around the world. However, as I grew up, the situation and social thinking changed and influenced my selection of subjects and my field of work. I soon realised that my strength lay in interacting with people and managing situations,” he says.

Mehrotra says spare time is a luxury for him. However, when he does manage to take a breather, he likes to read, watch movies and listen to classical music. “My favourite book is Blue Ocean Strategy by Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne,” he says