Episode 50: Vinod Kumar, Vice Chairman at Everstone Group
"Anger, regret and envy... These are wasted emotions! While I've had my share of ups and downs, life has been a complete blast!" Vinod Kumar, Vice Chairman Everstone Group (former CEO Tata Communications and former CEO Vodafone Business), in conversation with Anurag Aggarwal, Chief Revenue Officer (Enterprise) at GMS. As Humans of Telecom celebrates a milestone of completing fifty episodes, we welcome an exceptional personality to the hot seat to share his life stories, philosophies, and passions! In this episode, Vinod walks us through his exciting journey of three decades in the telecom space. Having lived and worked in seven countries across Asia, Europe, and America, Vinod's entry into telecom wasn't premeditated. In his younger days, he aspired to do 'something international' and nearly joined the FMCG sector instead of telecom. However, destiny had different plans for him, and he eventually went on to steer some of the most well-known telecom companies, including Tata Communications and Vodafone Business. Amongst other things, Vinod reminisces about some of his milestone moments, including when Tata Communications entered the 'Leader' category in the coveted Gartner Magic Quadrant! Beyond his professional accomplishments, Vinod has some intriguing personal traits, which include grooving to Sufi music in the gym during his intense workout sessions as well as learning the Spanish language currently. Ironically, despite his magnetic stage presence, he claims to be an introvert and shares his secret sauce that lets him transform into the personality that we're more familiar with! Finally, Vinod talks about his love for the outdoors, team sports, and speed, which he manages well through his passion for skiing and playing polo!
