“Anything and everything at your desk, is just a click away. There is no need for anybody to go the distance. This is what the world is today. And this is mainly because of the fast-growing telecommunication”
Pankaj Sachdeva, Director and Country Head, Ramboll India has been spearheading the company in bridging the gap between the Indian and international telecom market and has played a key role in building telecom networks and structures and contributed in making our country one of the top among the telecom industries worldwide. At a recent presentation, he addressed management students in Pune. Corporate Citizen brings you his inspiring talk , wherein he hints at potential opportunities for those aspiring to enter the real corporate world
Pankaj Sachdeva, a man of virtue and simplicity, is a leading person in the telecom world. He is leading telecom vertical at Ramboll India as the Director and Country Head. His strategies are always client-centric, ensuring that he always has happy clients, both in India and international markets. He is responsible for leading the organisation in its mission of offering holistic engineering solutions to the telecom industry. He is responsible for top and bottom line growth, while envisioning and creating innovative solutions for customers, which are in line with the ever-changing needs and evolving technologies. With the advantage of having global exposure to telecom industry, Sachdeva instrumentally induced global practices in the Indian scenario and scaled great heights. He has been responsible in heading Ramboll in the world market and giving the brand a strong holding.
He has been spearheading the company and bridging the gap between India and the international telecom market. He has played a key role in building telecom networks and structures and contributed in making our country one of the top internationally.
Over the 22 years that he has been working in the telecom sector, he has worked with global organisations like Siemens, Motorola, Ericsson, and IBM in past. His loyalty towards the companies he has worked with is his commendable feature. Currently, he is associated with Ramboll India, which is also one of the top international design and consultancy company, headquartered in Denmark. Pankaj holds an engineering degree in electronics and communication under his belt, capped with a master’s in management studies from the University of Delhi.
Comparing the present day to his student days, Sachdeva smiles as he says “Today, everything is just a click away, and students today are quite prepared than they were in the past, thanks to the technology. As the students make way into the real corporate from the four walls of their colleges, there are many obstacles in their path, but it all depends how they tackle them.”
Telecom industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. The changes and the growth are quite obvious from the mobile based apps and internet world which changes every day. With over 1.1 billion subscribers it is very clear that this industry is on the fast track, especially in India.
Anything and everything at your desk, is just a click away. There is no need for anybody to go the distance. This is what the world is today. And this is mainly because of the fast growing telecommunication networks And India is one of the front runners and the investments made in this industry in the last few years is tremendous. Over Rs.3.27 lakh crore was spent in India on Spectrum auctions since 2010.
This gives an idea of the pace at which this industry is moving. With the kind of growth and requirement, the scope in this industry is endless and what is more interesting is the fact that the consumers want more and more advanced devices with a network to support that. This has made people in this industry work constantly.
“One has to see beyond his/her working team and mundane every day routine to learn new things. The corporate world is challenging and we should be prepared to take on the challenges to succeed”
This is an industry which influences other industries as well-right from energy to infrastructure, the changes in telecom have a great impact on other markets and entire ecosystem. The challenges that this industry faced and opportunities it has delivered have in fact made this, one of the fastest growing ones.
In the corporate world, it all depends on how you scale heights by taking up different roles. It is only by working with cross-functional teams and in synergy with various teams that we can deliver success. Sachdeva repeatedly emphasised the significance of working in a team. It is only when you are a good team player that you will be a good leader. No individual can work alone and attain success. A close eye on the market and market conditions is crucial to achieve the growth of the organisation. One has to see beyond his/her working team and mundane everyday routine to learn new things.
Pankaj Sachdeva took a path completely different from his family. His entire family is full of academicians including his wife who is a professor at Delhi University. His father was also teaching at IIT Delhi, while his mother was working with Indian Agricultural Research institute (IARI). From being a last bencher in school to the frontrunner in college and thereafter, he has a perfect unbeaten innings. His freewheeling replies to questions is a clear indication that he has mastered his role in perfecting everything in his life so far. Excerpts:
“I would say from meeting all the demands of the clients to interacting with the engineers in the firm in building towers, it has been an interesting run so far. And it was in the year 2015 that I moved to Ramboll, a leading design and Consultancy Company. Ramboll India has designed and deployed towers for all major Indian and international telecom operators and infrastructure providers. We at Ramboll are also working and executing smart city site solutions. So all these years have been challenging all the way. Challenges make a person innovative and innovation leads to growth. We are in the growth phase and my team and I have a long way to go.
Through my years of experience, I have attained a multi-sector exposure and challenges are many. Creativity plays a major role in this industry, enabling better results for clients and one’s own organisation. Profit margins is the major challenge these days that the industry is facing with a growing competition. We have seen a decline in the overall profits levels. Data rates have been cut by 70% changing the economics of the industry greatly.
I have a very strong team and we try not to be stressed and under pressure but balance our work. It is good to have or display a strong desire to be more successful than others. This will bring in creativity and innovation. And it is always the team which plays an important role. Ramboll is the undisputed leader in the towers and antennae category, globally, and ranked world number one in this space (Source: ENR Sourcebook 2016).
"Social media is a distraction for youngsters. We must use social media sparingly for our own benefit, instead of getting distracted. Parents and guardians play an important role in guiding their children in the right way
Spending time with family I feel is the best way to relax, which I do whenever I find time.
Youngsters are surrounded by many challenges and they want to try everything. We must try to focus on a few things instead of knowing halfand- half about a lot of things. Excess of anything is not good for anybody. Social media is a distraction for youngsters. We must use social media sparingly for our own benefit, instead of getting distracted. Parents and guardians play an important role in guiding their children in the right way.
It is good to have stress as it brings creativity out of you. Something which is not in your control, leave it the way it is, and that is best way to handle stress. Keep your mind engaged in good things. Discuss with your team and if it is something confidential, speak to someone at home. There is no direct way to handle stress, reach out to someone close to you.
I cannot define a turning point. Being with telecom engineers, and moving into telecom industry in structuring the telecom networks, my turning point is perhaps the move from being a team member to a team leader. Personally, the birth of my first child changed my life and that was a turning point.
There have been a few, some directly and some indirectly. Working in organisations, I do have some mentors. But it has been my parents who are the real mentors as they taught me the overall value of life which is very important for everyone.
Women have proven themselves and there is no doubt that they are equally or more capable in many fields. They have certain skills which men cannot match up to. Community pressure on women is a discouraging factor for them. Societal norms which expect women to look after cooking and the household prevent them from exploring their strengths in the corporate world. The community and the social taboos are major roadblocks for women. Having said that, I must acknowledge that things are changing today quite fast, we see women excelling in all fields including the corporate sector. Women, contribution is essential for the progression of the world and let us not be roadblocks to that.
By Joe Williams
