An unfulfilled wish to join the Indian Army notwithstanding, Navin Kaul is satisfied with his career graph so far. “From starting as a salesman in 1978 to becoming the chief operating officer (COO) of a leading telecom infrastructure company, it has been a gratifying journey, giving me a sense of achievement,” he says.

He hopes to replicate this success at Viom as well. As COO, he oversees the entire gamut of activities of the company, a task that he says, is “challenging”, but thoroughly enjoyable. He is banking on his vast work experience to tackle these challenges. What also helps is the fact that he was popularly known as the “turnaround specialist” during his previous stints. He explains, “In most of the organisations I have worked for, I have stepped in during challenging situations, and am glad that I have been able to resolve these issues successfully.”

Kaul brings to Viom over 30 years of experience, spanning the pharmaceuticals, office automation and telecom industries. He has worked with brands such as Spice Communications, Samsung SDS InfoTech, Usha Martin Infotech, Essar Telecom Infrastructure, Telstra and Modi Xerox. Of these, he says that his days at Modi Xerox and Spice Communications were the most memorable. “While all my assignments have been extremely enriching, the time I spent at Modi Xerox and Spice Communications offered superb learning experiences, as I was involved in challenging situations,” he says.

Currently, at Viom, he has a whole new set of tasks before him. Outlining these, he says, “We are working towards developing various processes that will facilitate growth in the telecom infrastructure space. Process standardisation and automation, according to me, are the key challenges facing the industry at present.”

Kaul believes in involving the team in all decision-making processes. “My professional strengths lie in people management, hiring the right talent and keeping them motivated. Also, the fact that I am impatient helps to keep each team stretched to deliver their best.”

Kaul offers a perspective on the likely future trends. He says, “The industry’s current growth momentum is likely to continue with the coming in of 3G and BWA. Bandwidth management will become important, especially with the successful completion of 3G and BWA auctions, and the subsequent launch of wireless broadband services by the winners.” 

All in all, Kaul is geared up to meet any future challenges that may come his way. When not busy consolidating Viom’s position in the telecom infrastructure space, Kaul unwinds by playing golf and spending time with his family.