 "No external trigger behind my resignation: Chandramouli Janakiraman")
Last week, Chandramouli Janakiraman, co-founder of mobile value-added services provider OnMobile Global, announced he was quitting as chief executive and managing director. He had taken charge at the Bangalore-based company’s helm in February 2013, when it was battling uncertainties after then chief executive Arvind Rao quit, following allegations of breach in corporate governance policies. In an interview with Bibhu Ranjan Mishra, he talks about why he decided to resign at this juncture. Edited excerpts:
What were the triggers behind your decision to resign?
There was no external trigger. When I took over as chief executive, the whole objective was to provide stability and continuity. And, we were also very clear we had to create the foundation for the company’s growth. We had been reliant on (mobile) operators by desire; we were clear we had to go beyond that. We have made very good progress on these fronts. So, we decided that to take the company to the next phase, it will be good to get a different person from here.
But the resignation was quite sudden.
The reason I decided to announce the move now was there was an open offer made by one of our promoters, OnMobile Systems, and it was ending last week. As I had talked to the investors earlier, I thought it was extremely important for me to convey my decision before the open offer ended.
Will you continue to be associated with OnMobile?
Once the transition is over and the new chief executive comes in, we will take a call on what my role will be. Based on that, I will support the company in the best possible way. Right now, I don’t know the contours of the role I might have in the company in the future.
Does it mean you might continue in any other executive role? Earlier, you were head of technology.
It is quite unlikely I will be in any fulltime role. We have a very good team now and we have very good products and technologies. So, obviously, I won’t want myself donning that role (head of technology).
Are you looking at new opportunities as an entrepreneur?
Once the transition is over, I want to have some quiet time. I am fascinated by organic farming and have some good plans that I will decide on in due course. But I will certainly not join any other corporate.
Has stability returned to the company on the revenue front?
From the telecom sector’s standpoint, industry challenges have not gone away. But we have laid a foundation to address those challenges, banking on the assets we have created in the past 14 years. The whole idea is to go beyond the operator-led model.
How have you been able to do that?
Until now, we were predominantly working only with telecom operators, not just for infrastructure (telecom network), but also for the business and go-to-market models. We are changing that model. For example, we have a product called ‘mobile radio’, through which users can dial and select from a lot of radio channels. We had launched this with mobile operators; as part of this, consumers pay Rs 35-40 a month. Now, we have started working with fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies that want to reach consumers in areas where they aren’t able to through other media. It will be provided free to consumers; the brands (FMCG companies) will pay us the money. Similarly, we are looking across all our products to decide on the go-to-market and business models.
What were the triggers behind your decision to resign?
There was no external trigger. When I took over as chief executive, the whole objective was to provide stability and continuity. And, we were also very clear we had to create the foundation for the company’s growth. We had been reliant on (mobile) operators by desire; we were clear we had to go beyond that. We have made very good progress on these fronts. So, we decided that to take the company to the next phase, it will be good to get a different person from here.
But the resignation was quite sudden.
The reason I decided to announce the move now was there was an open offer made by one of our promoters, OnMobile Systems, and it was ending last week. As I had talked to the investors earlier, I thought it was extremely important for me to convey my decision before the open offer ended.
Will you continue to be associated with OnMobile?
Once the transition is over and the new chief executive comes in, we will take a call on what my role will be. Based on that, I will support the company in the best possible way. Right now, I don’t know the contours of the role I might have in the company in the future.
Does it mean you might continue in any other executive role? Earlier, you were head of technology.
It is quite unlikely I will be in any fulltime role. We have a very good team now and we have very good products and technologies. So, obviously, I won’t want myself donning that role (head of technology).
Are you looking at new opportunities as an entrepreneur?
Once the transition is over, I want to have some quiet time. I am fascinated by organic farming and have some good plans that I will decide on in due course. But I will certainly not join any other corporate.
Has stability returned to the company on the revenue front?
From the telecom sector’s standpoint, industry challenges have not gone away. But we have laid a foundation to address those challenges, banking on the assets we have created in the past 14 years. The whole idea is to go beyond the operator-led model.
How have you been able to do that?
Until now, we were predominantly working only with telecom operators, not just for infrastructure (telecom network), but also for the business and go-to-market models. We are changing that model. For example, we have a product called ‘mobile radio’, through which users can dial and select from a lot of radio channels. We had launched this with mobile operators; as part of this, consumers pay Rs 35-40 a month. Now, we have started working with fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies that want to reach consumers in areas where they aren’t able to through other media. It will be provided free to consumers; the brands (FMCG companies) will pay us the money. Similarly, we are looking across all our products to decide on the go-to-market and business models.
How the global market looks like now?
International business is looking pretty good. In the domestic market, there is a consolidation happening in the operator-led VAS. Operators want to work with fewer players who have good track record. So we believe we will benefit out of that. In no-operator mobile services, we are exploring opportunities.