ACT Fibernet Management Team

Mahendra Kumar Sharma is the Chairman and Non-Executive, Independent Director of our Company. He has been a Director of our Company since December 11, 2014. He holds a bachelor of arts degree University of Lucknow and a post graduate diploma in personnel management from University of Delhi. He also holds a diploma in labour law from the Indian Law Institute. He has over 32 years of experience in the field of business administration and management. In the past he has held the position of whole-time director and vice chairman of Hindustan Unilever Limited.

Dhiraj Poddar is the Non-Executive, Nominee Director of our Company. He holds a bachelor of commerce (honours course) degree from the University of Delhi and a post-graduate diploma in management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He is also an associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He heads the India operations of TA Associates Advisory Private Limited. He has more than 12 years of experience in the private equity industry. Prior to joining TA in 2010, he worked as a director at Standard Chartered Bank.

Sri joined True North in 2006 and is responsible for investments in primarily consumer products and services and technology products and services. He also supports the fundraising and investor relations teams. Prior to joining True North, Sri was part of the founding team at Yes Bank and also worked in the planning & strategy team at ICICI Bank. Sri graduated from IIM Ahmedabad after completing his B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology. Outside of work, Sri is happy spending time with family at home and dreaming of breaking new ground in long-distance running while listening to Indian classical music.

Pramod Kabra is the Non-Executive, Nominee Director of our Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce (honours) from University of Jodhpur. He is also an associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has over a decade’s experience in the field of business management. He is currently the partner of the business management team in True North Managers LLP.

Pangulury Mohan Murty is the Non-Executive, Independent Director of our Company. He has been a Director of our Company since March 10, 2018. He holds a bachelor of science (honours) degree in mathematics from University of Calcutta and a post-graduate diploma in management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. He has over 46 years of experience in the field of sales, marketing and management. In the past he has held the position of managing director and chief executive officer of Asian Paints Limited.

Nishi Vasudeva is the Non-Executive, Independent Director of our Company. She has been a Director of our Company since March 10, 2018. She holds a bachelor of arts (honours) degree from University of Delhi and post graduate diploma in management from Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. She has over 36 years of experience in the oil and gas sector. In the past she has held the position of chairman and managing director in Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited. She is also the recipient of several awards namely best CEO award in oil and gas category at BT MindRush 2016, CEO of the year award at the Platts Global Energy Awards in 2015 and scope award for excellence and outstanding contribution to the public sector management under individual leadership category I for maharatna or navaratna public sector undertakings for the Financial Year 2014.

Bala Malladi stands as an archetypical inspirational leader with a successful career spanning over three decades, currently steering ACT Fibernet as its Chief Executive Officer for more than sixteen years. Under Bala's guidance, ACT Fibernet has distinguished itself by pioneering fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology in India, emphasizing rapid internet connectivity services. Bala’s strategic insights underscore the critical role of FTTx networks in fostering economic growth, a principle that has shaped ACT Fibernet's mission to develop expansive broadband 'highways' throughout India. This strategic foresight has not only broadened ACT's presence but has also solidified its role as a pivotal contributor to India's burgeoning digital infrastructure. Under his leadership, ACT has catapulted into the forefront as a premier broadband and consumer technology brand in India, making it the largest non-telecom ISP in India with a subscriber base exceeding 2 million across 25 cities.

The company's commitment to customer satisfaction and innovation has been instrumental in fostering loyalty and advancing the broadband industry in the nation. His foundational belief that prioritizing people ensures business success has nurtured a corporate culture at ACT that is both compassionate and forward-thinking. This philosophy has earned ACT accolades as one of the Top 100 'Best Places to Work' in India for eight consecutive years and recognition as the Gallup Global Exceptional Workplaces for six consecutive years.

During the pandemic, Bala led the company with unwavering commitment, ensuring uninterrupted services and extensive community support, which culminated in ACT being honoured as one of India's Best Workplaces in Health and Wellness 2021 by Great Place to Work. Further He has been recognised as “Best top 10 Leaders during critical times” by GPTW & Economic Times.

Prior to his tenure at ACT, Bala worked at Hindustan Unilever including in Unilever London , dedicating 17 years to various roles that spanned finance, strategy, supply chain, new business initiatives etc across India and Europe. His tenure also included leading the commercial endeavours of Kimberly Clark Lever and represented Hindustan Unilever in this significant joint venture.

Bala's fervor for innovation, continuous learning and customer-centric approach, drives his pursuit of cutting-edge technologies and organisational excellence to create a socially responsible enterprise . ACT has done work that is well integrated into the social fabric of the communities that it operates in and well respected for its unique contribution in the fields of digital inclusion spanning across 1200+ government schools, public libraries, Free Wifi hotspots for students and other members of the society. He is respected as one of the foremost thought leaders in spheres of digital inclusion, connectivity solutions and bridging the digital divide across the country.

Hara takes care of strategy, delivery and operation of a robust information network across various business verticals within the ACT group.

Hara has rich experience across all domains in IT space, with varied industry experience from Petrochem, Telecom to DTH. Prior to ACT, he worked with TATA Sky, Airtel and Reliance.

Hara holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering.

Navneet manages the central service functions like Customer Service, Central Service Delivery & UG operations for the organization. He also heads the Enterprise business at ACT and spearheads the growth initiatives like new city launches.

Navneet is a seasoned leader with 2 decades of experience leading P&L, product development, data-driven business strategies, marketing, GTMs, omnichannel distribution, and operational excellence. He has a proven track record of building consumer insights based winning products. He is experienced in efficiently managing, motivating, and developing large teams. He has a rich experience in Telecom sector. Prior to ACT, he gained majority of his experience with Bharti Airtel Limited, Idea Cellular Limited and Unacademy.

Pranav Nehru heads the ACT fibernet operations for Telangana and is responsible for driving profitable business growth in the region.

Pranav has 20 years of experience spanning P&L leadership, business planning and operations in sectors like consumer durables, telecom and logistics. In his last stint with Rivigo, he was heading the business nationally & was instrumental in driving revenue and market share leadership. Prior to that, he was associated with Vodafone & Samsung Electronics in various leadership roles.

Ravi Karthik heads the entire Marketing function at the group level.

Ravi Karthik has over a decade of experience in different areas of Marketing including Brand Management, Digital Marketing, Merchandising, Go to market design, consumer insights and Market Analytics. His last assignment was with Flipkart India Pvt Ltd as Category Head. He has also worked with P&G in India and Singapore in the past.

Ravi Karthik holds an MBA degree from IIM – Bangalore.

Sandeep spearheads operations for internet businesses across Bangalore & Tamil Nadu Business. He is responsible for strategic expansion and profitable growth of the business.

Prior to ACT, Sandeep worked with Madura Coats for more than 16 years in various functions including Supply Chain and Sales & Marketing. In his last assignment, Sandeep worked as Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Madura Coats.

Sandeep has done his MBA from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies. He also holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering.

Dr.Sarath Kumar spear heads strategy, delivery and operations of robust technology network across various business verticals in ACT.

Dr.Sarath has rich experience of 20 years in multiple domain in Technology space. Prior to ACT he has worked with Nokia Bell Labs & Tejas Networks.

Dr.Sarath has done his PH.D in electrical engineering from University of Pennsylvania. He holds a Masters degree in Electronics & Communication from IIT-Bombay & bachelor’s degree in engineering(Electrical) from IIT-Kanpur,

Shadab Umar Khan spearheads operation for Broadband Business for the North India region which includes – Delhi NCR, Rajasthan, Gujrat and UP. He is responsible for driving strategic expansion and profitable business growth in the region. Shadab is also part of ACT’s Executive committee and plays an integral part in the organization’s decision making and growth journey.

Shadab comes with 25 years of experience in various industries, predominantly in FMCG, spanning P&L leadership, strategic leadership and operations. Prior to joining ACT, Shadab has worked with GNC, Mars, Pepsico India Holdings Pvt Ltd., Colgate Palmolive India Ltd., Cadbury India Ltd. and Asian Paints.

On academic front, Shadab has done his MBA from SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and he holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Aligarh Muslim University.

Shefali heads the Human Resource function of the group and leads all the HR-related activities like HR Operations, Recruitment, Compensation and Benefits, Training and Organization Development.

Shefali has worked with organizations like Levi’s, Reliance Retail, VF Arvind, and ConAgra Foods.

Shefali completed her PGDBM from MDI Gurgaon. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics.

Aditya Singh heads the Bangalore broadband business.

Aditya has more than 22 years of experience spanning entrepreneurship, P&L leadership, business planning, consulting and operations. In his last stint, he was heading his own venture, Laskauz India Pvt Ltd. Prior to that he was associated with DaVita Care India as MD & Country Manager. He has also worked with Abbott India Ltd, McKinsey & Company, Hindustan Unilever, ICI India Ltd and Tata group in past.

Dinesh R Nayak leads the Engineering function for the organization.

Dinesh has overall 23 years of experience in Technology, Product Development, defining business strategy, enabling people & product success. Prior to joining ACT, he was associated with Huawei India Technologies Pvt Ltd and Wipro Technologies.

On academic front, Dinesh holds a bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology.

Narendra has been an entrepreneur turned professional and worked in Airtel for 10 years. He brings a vast experience of understanding and working with government and an array of new technological solutions.

Narendra has rich experience in telecommunication, IT Services, and office automation sectors. He has good exposure in managing sales operations, mobile, data business, VAS and enterprise solution sales. His last assignment was with Bharti Airtel Limited as Business Head - AP & Telangana.

Narendra holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Compute Science) from Bangalore University and also EPGM from IIM – Lucknow.

Suphal Mehrotra heads the Enterprise Business for the entire ACT group.

He is responsible for strategizing and driving the enterprise roadmap for the organization.

Suphal has 24 years of experience in various domains of sales & enterprise business. His last assignment was with Vodafone Idea limited as Executive Vice President – Global Enterprise, Alliance and Cloud Business. In his last assignment, he was leading the strategic direction & operational execution for Global Enterprise, Alliance and Cloud businesses. He has also worked with Reliance communications and Bharti Airtel prior to joining Vodafone Idea.

Neethan D’Souza heads the corporate HR at ACT. He is responsible for strategic planning & implementation of various HR initiatives and activities. His scope of work includes core HR functions like Talent Acquisition, Training & Development, Organization Development, HR Analytics and internal communications for ACT Group. His role includes partnering with all Business Heads and HR Heads identifying newer initiatives, strategizing and implementing them in alignment with ACT’s people’s strategy. Reporting into the Chief People Officer and working closely with ACT’s Executive committee and leadership team, he oversees and drives the effectiveness of all initiatives undertaken.

Neethan has over 17 years of work experience in varied industries. Prior to joining ACT, Neethan worked with Danzas - DHL. His experience also includes organizations like Toyota Kirloskar Motors, Airtel, TNT and Graphite India.

Neethan holds a Master's Degree in Social Work.

Amit Chawla heads the broadband business in Delhi.

Amit has overall 26 years of experience in business management spanning strategy, change management & transformation, sales, operations, marketing and P&L management. Prior to joining ACT, he has held various leadership positions and spearheaded multiple businesses & functions in the industry. In the past, he has been associated with Bharti Airtel, Millicom, Ooredoo Telecom, Tata Teleservices and Reliance Communications.

On academic front, Amit has done his MBA from B.K.School of Business Managements and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from L. D. College of Engineering, Gujarat University, Ahmedabad.

Anshuman Bhattacharya heads the Technology Center of Excellence for the organisation.

Anshuman has more than 24 years of experience in various domains of technology & engineering. In his last stint he was heading the engineering domain for Juniper Networks. Prior to that he has worked with Lucent Technologies as lead engineer.

Anshuman holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering(Electrical & Electronics) from Savitribai Phule Pune University.

Gaurav heads the sales department for Hyderabad. He has a rich experience in sales, strategy, and portfolio growth. Prior to joining ACT, Gaurav worked with Agro Tech Foods Ltd and his last handled role was General Manager – Sales (West).

Gaurav has a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from RV College of Engineering, Bangalore and a PGDM from MDI Gurgaon.

Chandrasekhar Jayaraman heads the Hyderabad Service Delivery Operations.

Chandrasekhar has more than 14 years of experience spanning sales, marketing & service delivery. In his last stint, he was heading the Bangalore sales business for Maiyas Beverages & foods Private Limited,

Prior to that he was associated with Ola & Flipkart as category manager and with ITC Limited as Area Sales Manager.

Chandrasekhar has done his PGDM from IIM Indore and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering(Electronics & Instrumentation) from Anna University.

Kishore heads the Sales function for Bangalore Internet businesses where he is instrumental in building the sales team ground up. He is responsible for creating and executing the strategies for profitable growth of the business.

Kishore has strong FMCG and Telecom sales background. Prior to ACT he worked for Pepsi and Bharti Airtel.

Kishore holds Post Graduate Degree in Business Management from Institute for Technology and Management. He loves playing table tennis.

Narayanan Heads the Fibernet Business for Rest of Tamil Nadu.

He has experience in Consumer Durable, FMCG and Telecom. Prior to ACT, he worked with Tata Tele services, Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Hindustan Level Ltd and Safari Industries Ltd in Sales & Distribution.

Narayanan holds Bachelor Degree in Mathematics and also Masters in Business Administration.

Priya Narayan heads the broadband business in Rest of Tamil Nadu

Priya has overall 22 years of experience in Operations & business management in the Telecom Industry.

She has handled large teams for multiple functions like Sales, Customer Service, Customer Retention & Operations in varied geographies like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, AP and Mumbai in leadership roles.

Prior to joining ACT, Priya had a long and successful stint with Bharti Airtel Limited for a decade. In her stint with Airtel, she has held various leadership positions in Customer experience & Sales and spearheaded multiple functions and businesses.

On the academic front, Priya has done her master’s in management studies & holds a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from K.J Somaiya , Mumbai.

Rajeev Naidu heads the Community Business at ACT Bangalore. Previously, he's lead Customer Care, Service Delivery and Enterprise Business for ACT.

Rajeev brings deep expertise in P&L, Scaling teams and in International Businesses across. He is an entrepreneur turned professional.

In his last role at Infosys Ltd, Belgium he led engagement at a large Telecoms provider as a Director – Client Engagement.

Rajeev has a Bachelor of Engineering from University of Pune and an AMP from IIM Bangalore

Ritesh Prabodh Sanghvi heads the broadband business in Chennai.

Ritesh has overall 20 years of experience in business management spanning strategy, revenue planning, sales, operations, marketing and P&L management. Prior to joining ACT, he had a long and successful stint with Bharti Airtel Limited. In last 2 decades of his career with Airtel, he has held various leadership positions and spearheaded multiple businesses & functions.

On academic front, Ritesh has done his PGDBA from SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and he holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

Sanjay Ahuja heads the access network operations for the organisation

Sanjay has more than 24 years of experience in various domains of technology. He is repsonsible for strategic planning & implementation of access network infrastructure.

In his last stint he has worked as Assistant Vice President –IOC IP with Reliance Jio Infocomm. Prior to that he has worked with Nokia as General Manger planning & Engineering.

He has also worked with Cisco & TATA Internet Services Ltd.

Sanjay has done his PGDM from Symbiosis Institute of Management, he also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering(Electronics & Communication) from Maharshi Dayanand University

Santhosh Cherian heads the enterprise business for Hyderabad. Prior to this he was spearheading the CRM and Field automation projects for the group. He is responsible for strategic planning, design, development and implementation of these critical projects across the group level.

In his previous stint, he had been responsible for managing the Branch Operations of the Hyderabad business. He has also been instrumental in establishing the Community Business vertical of Hyderabad business. Prior to joining ACT, he worked with Cobra Beer Pvt. Ltd., London as Senior Commercial Head, where he gained vast ranging experience in business development, international marketing, business operations and commercial management.

Cherian holds a Master’s in Business Administration in Marketing & Finance from Richmond University, London. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce.

Saurabh Kaushik heads the Supply chain business for ACT

He is responsible for strategizing and driving the procurement & supply chain operations across all location of ACT

Saurabh has 15 years of experience in various domains of supply chain & procurement. His last assignment was with Procter & Gamble as senior sourcing manager in packaging materials. Prior to that he has worked with NTPC as Deisgn Engineer.

Saurabh has done his PGPM from IIM-Kozhikode, MBA from Shailesh J Mehta School of Management(IIT-Bombay) & he also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering(Mechanical) from Jamia Millia Islamia University.

Sunil is responsible for providing strategic leadership to develop and maintain effective relationships with Internal and external stake holders. He also oversees the Public Relations function and handles liaising with multiple stakeholder groups like the Government, Employees and Investors.

Prior to joining ACT in January 2016, Sunil was a reputed Tennis Coach and Administrator for over twenty five years. He was the National Coach and Director of Development with All India Tennis Association (AITA) and a coach educator

Sunil holds a Diploma in Pharmacy and B.Sc in Micro Biology from Bangalore University.

Yugandhar heads video business for the group and fibernet business for Andhra Pradesh. Prior to this, Yugandhar headed the service delivery function for Hyderabad Fibernet business.

Yugandhar holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and Post Graduate Diploma in Management.

Yugandhar brings with him a rich experience in the area of Sales, Operations, Distribution and Customer Service. His last assignment was with MTS-Sistema Shyam Teleservices as Deputy Director for Bangalore Metro. Yugandhar has also worked with Reliance Big TV, Godrej Hi-Care and TATA Teleservices in the past.