Soon after the finalisation of the Idea-Vodafone merger, the former market leader Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal sent out an organisation-wide email informing the employees about the competition that lies ahead and also talking about the strengths of the company. In a related development, one day after the companies' merger, the newly formed Vodafone Idea conducted a two-hour town hall which was streamed across the nation in Vodafone-Idea offices. The talk given by Balesh Sharma touched on many points, in which he highlighted that even though Vodafone Idea had secured the top spot much more remained to be done.
Vodafone Idea Conducts Townhall
Vodafone Idea CEO, Balesh Sharma said: “Vodafone Idea is the largest telecom player; it needs to use its size to become strongest, and that is possible by giving customers a fantastic experience.” As per an ET report, to the 18,000-people strong workforce, the executive said that even though the company was the largest telco in the country, it had to become the strongest also. He added that even with the 408million subscriber base and market share of 32.2%, Vodafone Idea has some powerful competitors to face.
Not only Balesh Sharma but other important executives of the company, like the chairman of Vodafone Idea, Kumar Mangalam Birla also took part in the townhall as their recorded message was relayed for the employees. Vodafone Group chief executive Vittorio Colao and Nick Read, the former chief financial officer for the group and now the person to take the responsibility from Colao, also became part of this organisation-wide stream via the recorded audios. Himanshu Kapania and Sunil Sood also spoke their thoughts during this time.
The 13-member leadership team, which will now function under Balesh Sharma, answered the employees’ questions and laid down the framework for future growth during the talk. During this time also, Akshaya Moondra, the chief financial officer (CFO), assured the employees that debt wouldn’t be a problem since the company wasn’t cash restrained.
Additionally, other critical questions about the culture inside the company and the expected clash post the merger were answered by the Vodafone Idea HR head, Suvamoy Roy Choudhury, who said: “All employees will be treated with respect.” It is also worth noting that to gear up for the merger both the companies had laid off 5000 employees.
People aware of the matter informed that the new entity had already rolled out a new website and it would also start a new brand campaign in the coming months. One of the people said “Initial series of campaigns, starting in weeks, will only be on the merger and make the customer aware. As of now, the new company will continue with two-pronged offerings for Idea and Vodafone customers.”
