If knowledge means understanding the present and preparing for the future, few corporate honchos could match the ability of Ruchir Godura, country manager and director of South Asia operations, UTStarcom who has applied his knowledge to scale newer heights of success for his patrons. Godura, who believes that ideas work and it can do miracle, has helped the California-based UTStarcom carve out a niche for itself. A global provider of next generation telecommunication solutions in the area of broadband, wireless, IP-based switching and 3G networks, today, UTStarcom's customers in India include leading telecom operators. And the man to be patted for the success is none other than Gadura. Born and brought up in Durgapur, Godura had his schooling in St Xavier's School in the West Bengal town.

He got his B Tech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi and an MS from the University of Delaware. Godura has been with UTStarcom since 1996 and is responsible for their global customer support division. Prior to joining UTStarcom, Ruchir had worked with AT&T in their business services division in Holmdel, New Jersey. While in AT&T, Godura was involved in the development of the network management system. He says that working in a very large corporation was a major learning experience for him. However, he was not happy with his stint in AT&T. The reason? Lack of recognition for efforts put in. "If I wanted I could have stayed and continued with a stable working environment. However, a big company has its own ups and down.

I needed a place which not only provided a lot of freedom, but where I could also make an individualistic difference," he says. This, he says was just not possible in AT&T as there were many hierarchies and a bureaucratic way of operation. So, in 1996, Godura moved to UTStarcom. He joined as a product manager for their broadband venture with Philips (which was at that time into cable telephony system and UTStarcom was providing the voice and data services). In 1998, when Philips closed down its broadband service, he took over as director, Global Customer Support Division in New Jersey. Godura says that this change from a technical profile to a marketing and business development head was decision he had made voluntarily.

"I believe that coming from a technical background has only helped me in understanding things better. Not only could I understand the strengths and weaknesses of a technical team and to what level one can commit in the market, but also the art of managing and making people work. I believe that business development is like a funny logic where you just go with the predictions, as you do not really know what the future holds for you. It is more about following your instincts," he says. According to Godura, India is a difficult market, not least because equipment prices are low, even compared with China, where the market is several times bigger. Also, UTStarcom has had to compete with established players like Alcatel, Siemens and Lucent. It is now seeking to rapidly expand its operations in India. Now, with the company identifying India as the next big market after China, you can be sure that you will hear more about Ruchir Godura in the times to come.