Sunanda Das, Managing Director, Cable & Wireless, India dreamt of becoming a doctor but ended up becoming a CA. He learnt practical lessons through observation to become a young achiever says Akhtar Pasha
Sunanda Das comes from a business family, his father was in the business of exports and construction. Born and brought up in Kolkata with two brothers, what Das recalled most from his childhood is that it was secure and enjoyable. He focused on studies and played lots of football. While he was excellent in academics, he was the class topper throughout, he continued to play football and took it to the Club level.
Das said, “My mother is a big source of inspiration for me. She made huge contributions and adjustments to raise me and my two brothers. My dad was always in the background providing us with a comfortable living.” At an early age, he learned to respect and treat every individual equally irrespective of race, color and social status. This has helped him stay grounded. Moreover, he said, “I was fortunate to work closely with a few industry leaders at an early age. Those early practical lessons from observation and interaction were of great help in my professional career.”
Most of the schooling and higher education was from Kolkata and he graduated from St. Xaviers College. Professionally, not many know that he is a qualified Chartered Accountant and a Cost & Management Accountant. He recalled, “I remember growing up as a responsible child and learned to remain humble. Both these virtues have always helped me in my professional career.”
His greatest motivation is constant growth. Das take great joy in watching colleagues scale up the ladder of success. He tends to get bored by routine things and tries to break out of the rut by doing things differently. Nature motivates him and is a great influence on his style of management.
Career by chance (I will say you to must read this)
His choice of career happened more by chance than planning for Das. He recalled, “I used to take my English classes from a fantastic teacher who wished to be a Chartered Accountant. He wanted his only son to become a Chartered Accountant but he became a Professor. But my English teacher influenced me to pursue Chartered Accountancy though I had always wanted to be a doctor.”
It has been quite a while since he joined Cable & Wireless. He has spent a decade with the company. Prior to this, he spent an equal span of time with leading Indian MNCs including the Tata Group. He said, “I took multiple internal transfers during the initial years and was always keen for new exposures and opportunities to learn. The challenge used to be my age— by default I used to be the youngest person in my team. You need to be agile to adjust yourself to a new environment, demonstrate your traits as a leader and carry your team along with you in the shortest possible time.”
In his current capacity, he heads Cable & Wireless’s operations in India. He said that C&W has grown manifold in India over the years and it feels good to be in the driver’s seat. He added, “Most of my time now goes in strategizing, inducing innovation and motivating the team. I devote considerable time to staying connected with our customers. I have built up a capable team over the years and we stay interlocked delivering the business objectives.”
Achievements
Das was quite ill tempered during his early years but mellowed as the years progressed. “Now I am sure that none of my colleagues in Cable & Wireless have seen me losing my temper in the last ten years. I consider this as my biggest achievement as a professional. I have learnt the hard way, had a fantastic boss as a mentor, and practiced a lot to achieve this transition and emerge stronger.”
Hobbies and passions
He likes gardening. However, he still feels like going back in time to when he played football. He does not mind even at this age getting into a good game of football. He plans to play golf during the weekend but ends up playing football with his son instead. Weekends are entirely for the family. A few movies on the big screen in a month and two family vacations in a year are a must for Das.
Das added, “I listen more than I speak. My team knows that they will get a patient hearing before I decide. No one has seen me losing my temper and hence my team is not scared of me. I trust my team; most of my colleagues have worked a long time with me. I strongly believe I have the best team around me.”
Innovation will be the key differentiator
“I am sure that the industry will tide through its current phase and emerge stronger as we end the year. The industry needs to embrace innovation and be flexible in dealing with the current situation. The foundation of our industrial ecosystem is quite strong and stable. I strongly believe that when the going gets tough, the tough get going; true character comes out in adversities,” he said. The best approach is to stay focused, make yourself sharper, generate value additions for customers and motivate colleagues to go that extra mile.
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