Humans of Telecom Humans of Telecom

"One of my biggest learnings in life... Take care of your people and let the people take care of the business!" Budi Purba, Chief Executive Officer at TELIN in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Revenue Officer (Enterprise) at GMS.



In this episode, we feature one of the most respected and loved CEOs within our telecom fraternity! Pak Budi shares about his humble beginnings of growing up in a small village in North Sumatra, walking 5 km every day to get to school and, finally, receiving a scholarship from the Telkom group for higher studies in Australia. A truly versatile personality, Pak Budi is the quintessential 'lifelong learner' who lives his passions of being a singer, guitarist, dancer and even a soccer player! While he claims to be an introvert and sometimes gets nervous about speaking in public, Pak Budi's never-say-die attitude has made him an extremely inspirational leader for his team and all those who get an opportunity to cross paths with him!

"I call telecom the 'Club of Lost Souls' because we have such fabulous people in this industry who come from different walks of life and have such varied interests!" Gagun Gahir, Head of Enterprise Sales (Europe) at Telstra in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Revenue Officer (Enterprise) at GMS.



In this episode, Gagun walks us through her rich African-Indian heritage, her early ambitions of becoming a journalist or a lawyer, and how her journey in the world of telecom has now spanned three continents! She gives us an inside preview into the passions that drive her life, why her friends call her a 'jukebox', her undying love for Shakespeare's works and her fondness for all forms of food, wine and champagne! She also throws light on her work in the area of encephalitis after a personal incident with a close family member and, finally, shares a story about her near-miss incident of winning a multi-million lottery!

"My childhood entailed growing in a post civil-war era in Lebanon with no cellular network... That enticed me into the world of telecom!" Tony Jamous, Co-Founder and CEO at Oyster in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Growth Officer at Globe Teleservices.



In this episode, Tony walks us through his journey which started in Lebanon all the way upto Cyprus now, creating ripples in the telecom and CPaaS industry with Nexmo and now shifting focus towards creating a global talent pool via Oyster, which he strongly believes is the future competitive edge for every organization! He also shares glimpses of his tryst with playing the guitar, raising three amazing children and celebrating two birthdays every year with an open invitation to all listeners to join the celebrations in Cyprus!

"I’m passionate about marketing and building brave brands - more than a 9-5 job, it’s also an avenue to express my creativity and create business impact!" Gwen Lafage, Vice President Marketing, Global Brand and Content at Sinch in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Growth Officer at Globe Teleservices.

In this episode, Gwen walks us through her journey and experience of entering the world of CPaaS. A die-hard marketing aficionado, Gwen is originally from Paris, but worked all over the world, even owned an art gallery in San Francisco and is now settled in Atlanta. Beyond her profession, Gwen talks about her love for her plants, playing board games with her son and eating half a bar of dark chocolate every day!

"While Mobilesquared started fifteen years ago more as a 'lifestyle thing', we've evolved into a fully fledged data business with the best yet to come (watch out for some BIG news next year)!" Hear the dynamic duo of the messaging space - Nick Lane, Founder and Chief Messaging Officer and Jo Lane, Client Services & Communications Director at Mobilesquared in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Growth Officer at Globe Teleservices.
In this episode, Humans of Telecom gets an opportunity to bring this awesome twosome together on the same platform for the first time and delves deeper into their journey of falling in love thirty years ago, charting their own careers, and eventually launching a venture together! Two very diverse personalities, Nick is a leading authority in the messaging space and a passionate golfer, who brings the 'big picture' to the table, while Jo works diligently behind the scenes to execute plans for their company and, at home, indulges her hobby for all things interior design! Nick is also an ardent Star Wars aficionado and a football fan, and his love for Thierry Henry leads to naming his son after the legend! While they keep their partner status low-key within the messaging industry, we can expect to see this couple make a joint appearance very soon at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2024!

"I never thought this could happen with me... But I now live my second life to the fullest!" In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Humans of Telecom presents the story of Pinder Takhar, Director Product Marketing at Kaleyra in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Growth Officer at Globe Teleservices.

In this episode, Pinder acts as a beacon of positivity as she walks us through the highs and lows of her life and her recent victory over breast cancer, the drama that entails in growing up in UK with a family having roots in India, her passion for new experiences such as community choir singing and Tai Chi Gong and, finally, her reflections on two decades in the telecom industry which has included witnessing multiple rounds of acquisitions and change of guards by industry heavyweights such as Sinch, Kaleyra and Tata Communications!