Ray is responsible for the overall operations of the circle, spearheading the mobility business and ensuring that the company stays in the black.

While he has succeeded in scaling up TTSL’s operations in Odisha, he admits it has not been smooth sailing all the way. “Today, TTSL enjoys strong brand positioning in the state. However, I feel that a more aggressive approach on my part would have helped in extracting deliverables from certain sections,” says Ray.

Typically, he likes to follow a participative and facilitative style of management, along with a “can-do” approach. “One must maintain a positive attitude and pair it with strong cross-functional skills,” he says.

That apart, he considers a positive and experimental attitude as his professional strength. However, he admits candidly that his attempts at setting a scorching pace to achieve the tasks at hand may not be acceptable to some people.

A chartered accountant by qualification, Ray has over 20 years of experience in diverse industries. He has worked in the FMCG segment as well as the telecom industry in the areas of sales, marketing and finance. Among the companies he has worked with are Reliance Communications (RCOM), Bharti Airtel, ConAgra foods, Coca-Cola and ICI.

He started his telecom innings with Bharti Airtel, where he was operations head for the company’s business in Assam and the Northeast. Thereafter, he joined RCOM as COO for the Kolkata and Rest of Bengal circles. He moved to TTSL a year and a half ago.

With several years of telecom experience behind him, Ray knows the pulse of the market. Commenting on likely future trends in the industry, he says that the sector will go through a consolidation phase. “Only serious operators will remain, with a focus on good quality of service rather than on poor quality, low-cost operations.”

Ray always wanted to travel and see the world. Luckily, during the course of his career, he got ample opportunity to do so, travelling all over the map.