Reliance Infocomm has WiLL to reach masses
PRASENJIT BHATTACHARYA & JAMES MATHEW
TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2002 3:00:34 AM ]
NEW DELHI: Reliance Infocomm is turning to FMCG companies, as it prepares to enter the game of reaching the masses through their limited mobility offering.
Reliance Infocomm is on a hiring spree, picking up people from FMCG and credit card/insurance majors. And since HLL is by far the strongest consumer goods player in the country, Reliance Infocomm is picking quite a few HLL guys to fill its ranks.
As of today, Reliance Infocomm is believed to have recruited nearly 200 HLL employees in various echleons of the company, including 8-9 former HLL men in senior management.
Reliance Infocomm’s consumer business is currently being headed by a former Lever and Pepsi man Amit Bose, while the Reliance group chief information officer (CIO) is Lalit Sawhney, also from the Levers stable.
Sawhney, though the group CIO, is more linked to the Reliance Infocomm operations.
But it's not just HLL, which is feeding the Reliance Infocomm's ever-growing need for manpower.
The company is believed to have picked up staff from other FMCG companies like Reckitt Benckiser, besides a host of insurance, banking and credit card companies.
Companies which deal with individual man-in-the-street consumers everyday.
According to a Reliance official, “We are hiring the best talent from companies in various sectors that include FMCG, banking and insurance and of course technology companies.” The official added that the hiring was aimed at “building a world-class company”.
And while Reliance Infocomm has yet to announce a full-scale commercial launch of its WLL services, the company’s manpower strength is currently between 3,000 and 3,500 and is projected to go up to 8,000 employees by 2004.
Sources said currently, Reliance Infocom is in the market for hiring networking and marketing people. The next hiring binge will be for customer care while the last phase will be for hiring people to man the company’s web stores which will act as one-stop stores for technology products and services.
The business of Reliance Infocomm will be an interesting departure for the way Reliance has been doing business.
The company’s only well-known consumer brand has been the textile brand Vimal. But the group has all along concentrated on infrastructure and commodities business to drive itself into a Rs 75,000-crore empire.
However, Reliance Infocomm, which is banking strongly on limited mobility to reap rich dividends, will now have to evolve a strong consumer brand identity for its WLL operations, besides go in for advertising, promotions and rest of the works.
economictimes.indiatimes.com
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All the Indian WLL carriers and prospective carriers - including Reliance - appear unconcerned with the upcoming Supreme Court ruling.
Q did not appear particularly ruffled with it during today's CC as well.
Perhaps it's perceived as in the bag.... |
