Managing Director (Airtel Rwanda)

The ICT and Communication sector is one of the fastest growing in the country, but also a really competitive area. How would you describe the conditions of the sector?

The ICT sector in Rwanda is quite developed especially if compared with other African countries that still struggle in as far as structured technology. The Rwanda government does a lot to promote the sector and one can find that working with a regulator RURA (Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority) is helpful as they are very professional and respond in turnaround time. This is something that facilitates doing business not only in the sector, but in the country in general.

Technology is the root of the current market; a lot of procedures can now be done online; creating a sophisticated way of doing business.

Bharti Airtel was ranked among the six best performing technology companies in the world (by BusinessWeek) and it currently operates in more than 20 countries of Africa and Asia. What would you say it has been the key of this evident success?

The company started initially in India and during the first eight years it worked hard to position itself with a very fast and positive expansion. Having reached the market leadership position in the home country, naturally the next step for the company was to go international and that was when the opportunity came for Airtel to penetrate in new markets such as Africa, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The key of success is the company’s entrepreneurial way of doing business, its focus on innovation and its vision of entering new markets and get significant market shares.

The presence of the company in Rwanda goes back to 2012, when Airtel was licensed to operate mobile services in the country. Why did you choose Rwanda? How has been the process of operating in this country up to date?

There were a good number of reasons why the company decided to come to Rwanda, where we have managed to be among the leader in the internet provision.

Airtel realized that the country had huge economic and business potential due to its investor friendly environment and infrastructure. The board was looking for a new destination to invest and Rwanda seemed as a very good opportunity. Now one can see that they were right. The telecom industry here has a very bright future ahead, encouraged by the government and private sector.

How has the evolution of Airtel in been in the country?

Airtel Rwanda has grown significantly the past 3 years. We started with providing only the mandated services of a telecommunications company but have since expanded to our focus areas which are; data and mobile financial services- areas we realized we could make a positive impact on people’s lives.

The aim is for us to grow into a data company over the next few years.

The population of Rwanda has one of the highest concentrations in Sub-Saharan Africa. With such a potential market, what are your strategies to reach more clients, both, domestic and international?

We have created different strategies to reach a wider range of market. Our potential client segment is really big and that is the reason why we offer very affordable services and also innovative packages for people of every section of the economy to have access to telecommunication services.

We are also looking for new segment of customers, we have developed specialized offers such as corporate data with attractive packages. All these products have allowed us to grow and to be able to count with a big and wide-ranging portfolio of satisfied and delighted customers.

The development of a country brings new opportunities but also new challenges, for example competition. What is Airtel main asset that makes it different from other companies?

We have managed to position ourselves as the leading internet provider in the country; this has been our major asset.

In addition, affordability and innovation in our products and services has led us where we are today. We keep adding value to regular services, creating new and exciting packages that keep us looking forward to our clients needs. Speed-to-market has also given us an upper hand.

In terms of developing the ICT Sector, Airtel has become a strategic partner for the country. However, in terms of social responsibility, what has been the company`s contribution to Rwanda?

As a business, Corporate Social Responsibility is essential for us to support, connect with and empower the societies in which we operate. Our focus areas are digitized education, health, enterprise development and environment.

The goal is to create sustainable initiatives that impact societies in many ways than one. For instance we have been able to support schools by creating a model learning environment for young generation to thrive.

We intend to continue in this line with more computer literacy initiatives for students; for then to have access to up-to-date and relevant information to unlock their potential.

Our commitment with the education area of Rwanda goes in line with our aim for the rest of the country. We are here to stay, and we want to grow and be better with the Rwandan society.

We believe that every company must have a clear set of goals but it is the vision of its leaders what can make them reach those objectives. Where do you see Airtel Rwanda within the next 5 years?

We can now look at the future from a strong basis of hard work and good results. I would say that Airtel Rwanda will be the operator of choice for mobile financial services and data for every Rwandan over the next few years. We will keep working with innovation as our foundation and the will of providing solutions for our clients.

Mr. Bhullar, looking at your professional background we have found a long time experience in senior levels in big international companies on different sectors (CocaCola, Cadbury Schweppes and also within the company with Airtel Seychelles & Airtel Sierra Leone). From a more personal perspective now, how has been the experience of working with Airtel and how has it enrich you personally?

I have been working for Airtel for more than eleven years in different countries such as India, Seychelles Islands and Sierra Leona, and now I am in Rwanda. In all these years I really can tell that this is a very good company to work for; it encourages its employees to think as entrepreneurs, giving them a lot of freedom to operate, innovate and improve. This has been a very positive experience, after having worked with other multinational organizations that I also enjoyed, I really think now that working for Airtel is an enriching and rewarding experience.

What I feel most proud of is the possibility of adding value to the markets where I have had the chance to work, improving the conditions of people with new technologies, giving them better communications and getting them connected to the rest of the world- making a real impact in people’s lives.

To conclude this interview, our readers are interested in the company but also on the leaders we interview. In that context, what message would you like to send to our worldwide readers of eBiz Guides?

I would definitely invite the eBiz Guides readers to come to Rwanda and get close at Airtel because we are a young company that provides excellent costumer services. Besides that, we have a Pan African presence in over seventeen countries in Africa, which means that we have a strong support network that enable us to give our clients the best services no matter where they are in the region.

This will help business people to expand their operations with effectiveness and the trust that Airtel is there to support them.