Manu Bansal, vice-president, channels at Cisco, follows a team-centric management style. “I am a team player and a very inclusive and people-oriented person,” he says. “Apart from achieving the company’s objectives, it is important for me to safeguard my team’s aspirations. During my career, I have realised that one’s ability to succeed depends directly on how well one’s team works together. Therefore, it is important that the team members are motivated and inspired to do their best.”

Bansal brings to the table over 17 years of experience. Prior to joining Cisco, he worked with companies like Novell, Siemens Nixdorf and PCL. “I have gained rich experience while working with different companies and undertaking diverse responsibilities,” he says. Bansal considers his current stint at Cisco as his most enjoyable till date. “Leading the manufacturing and retail vertical at Cisco has been my most memorable assignment. This role has provided me with the opportunity to work in various sectors, technologies and geographies.  Also, I am fortunate to have a versatile team, which has been instrumental in converting my strategies to action,” he says.

At present, he is focusing on the challenges and targets facing him at Cisco. “The economy is undergoing several changes that are reshaping the way business is conducted. My goal is to reskill or upskill myself take pace with current trends and thereby remain relevant to my customers and partners,” Bansal says.

Going forward, he feels that a large number of high-bandwidth applications will come to the fore in the telecom space. “3G mobile networks are paving the way for access to an ever-expanding array of high-bandwidth applications and data services. The opportunity provided by data services has prompted mobile operators around the world to launch new architectures, marketing campaigns and service strategies to gain market share and revenue. As operators capitalise on IP networks, they will create higher-margin and higher-revenue premium services such as video streaming, push-to-talk, interactive gaming for consumers and a host of enterprise services,” he says. Moreover, with operators confronted by declining ARPUs, operators will adopt new revenue models to drive profitability.

While work takes up a large part of his day, in his spare time Bansal enjoys watching movies. Interestingly, a career in telecom was never Bansal’s first choice. In his younger days, he wanted to become a pilot. In fact, he still nurses hopes of fulfilling that dream soon. “Over the past few years, I have taken up paragliding, and hope to qualify and become a pilot by 2012,” he says