Interviews

Ally Adnan

Mr Adnan has been a true ambassador of Pakistan in the

worldwide Telecom Industry. Started his career in USA as
an associate engineer; now he is working as Director in
InnoPath Software USA. He has got 14 years of rollercoaster
experience with some of the biggest telecoms companies.
His views on the current state and the future of telecom .
industry are exceptional. ZUMBEEL is honoured to have his
interview published.

1. Tell us about your Educational Background and your Career Profile

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering for the University of
Engineering and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan, and a Master’s degree in
Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbour.
I started my career right after school with Intel Corporation where I worked for
about three (3) years in various sales and marketing roles. The most fun project
that I was involved with at Intel was the Intel Inside program. Intel had
assembled a team of really bright individuals to develop and launch the
program. I learnt a lot working with the team.

2. Why Wireless Telecom as a Career?

One of my best friends from school went to work for a consulting company
called LCC International and used to tell me about all the cutting edge work the
company was doing and the wonderfully challenging lives of
telecommunications consultants. This was in 1993 when the telecommunications
industry was growing rapidly and there was a tremendous opportunity for
learning and for growth. I joined LCC in 1994 and have been in the industry ever
since.

3. Something about your Personality, Interests & Activities.

About my personality? I have been told that I am “demanding”,
“temperamental”, “particular” and “picky.” I have also been told that I am
“incredibly hard working”, “knowledgeable”, “helpful” and “driven.”
I have a great interest in Pakistani and Indian classical music and have a large
collection of music form the countries. I read a lot about the subject and listen to
music as much as I possibly can. I used to learn the Tablah when I was in
Pakistan. I am also fond of the theatre and, whenever in London, New York or Los
Angeles, try to catch some good plays. I used to write for “The Herald”, “The
Nation”, “She” and a few other magazines, when I was in Pakistan. I still write
from time to time. I am an avid photographer and used to take photographs for
my articles in “The Herald.”
I am currently building a new home and driving my contractors’ nuts in the
process and also working on a script for a movie.
I am the proud father of two (2) lovely and very energetic kids – Rania and
Sheheryar. When I am home, most of my activities revolve around them.

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4. What are the Pros and Cons of working with a Consultancy Company?
The consulting industry has changed a lot for the time when I was in the field. This
was from 1994 to 2000. This was a great time to be a consultant and, honestly,
there were no cons to being a consultant during the period. This was the time
when per diem allowances and expatriate benefits were generous and being a
consultant was highly rewarding financially. In addition, new technologies such
as iDEN, CDMA, and GSM1900 were being launched and it was a time to learn. I
was amongst some of the brightest engineers in the industry at the time and
thoroughly enjoyed the learning experience. I worked as a consultant all over
the world and got to see the world, in relative luxury, at “company expense.”
Sure it was a little difficult to move from one city to another all the time, but the
advantages of going to new places, learning about new cultures, being at the
forefront of a growing industry far outweighed the minor inconveniences.
Things have changed since and I do not believe that consulting today is
attractive. The biggest problem, in my opinion, is the lack of job security. The
second is diminishing financial benefits. The third is the lack of focus employers
today seem to have on training. There are still good gigs to be had but, I believe,
the golden period of consulting is over. The industry is very competitive now and
consulting companies have seen their margins erode over the years. They can
no longer afford to pay high allowances, bear the costs of training, and manage
consultant benches for long periods of time.

5. What was your Experience of Golden period of Telecom i.e. 1998-2000?

It was a great time. Really. My first assignment was to work on the design and
launch of the first iDEN system in the world. The technology was called MIRS at
the time and the companies deploying it were full of energy, enthusiasm and a
sprit of wanting to do things perfectly. I then worked on the launch of one of the
first GSM networks in North America followed by a period in the paging industry.
After this time, I moved to Malaysia where I managed projects in Malaysia, India
and Thailand. The next stop was the Netherlands where I worked for a GSM
operator. I was them promoted to the position of Business Unit Manager by LCC
and moved to London. This position took me away from engineering, which I still
miss, but allowed me to grow as a manager. In this position, I managed projects
in Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific. In the year 2000, I left LCC to join
LogicaCMG and moved to Dallas. At LogicaCMG, I was initially responsible for
sales and operations in North and South America but soon got Europe and Asia.
A short time after LogicaCMG sold the Radio Planning division, I moved to WFI
where I worked in sales. At the end of 2007, I made a change in my career and
joined InnoPath Software which is the leading Mobile Device Management
company in the world. I am having great fun at InnoPath.

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6. What are your views on the Future of Telecom?

I believe that we are going to see the focus shift from technology to customer
service and content. Technology will always be important but new careers are
likely to be in the areas of customer service and content. We should see a lot of
focus on providing superior customer service efficiently and cost-effectively.
That is the area my current employer focuses on. I think content development,
delivery and management will become increasingly important. There is likely to
be more consolidation of operators and of vendors. And finally, the consulting
industry is likely to change in a big way. It is likely to split into two: “staff
augmentation” and “high level consulting.” High level consulting will be the fun
place to be at.

7. You have travelled a lot, which Country did u like most and why?
Thailand. Me and my wife often think about settling down in Thailand after
retirement. It is a great country. I like Thai people very much. They are polite,
well mannered, very intelligent and do everything with a level of pride I have
never seen elsewhere. If you can buy a piece of fruit from a street vendor you
will see him cut, package and present it in the most diligent manner even
though it costs a few cents. They seem to do everything so well. I love the culture,
the history, and the shopping. The city really never sleeps. I love to shop and
there seems to be no better place to do shopping. Most malls and shops are
open during the day. When they close, the night markets open and when those
close, it is the opening time for markets like Chatuchak. Also, they have great
Pakistani food in the area around Nana square.

8. What skill and Personal attributes are required to Join Telecom?

A genuine interest in the field, attention to detail, a sound education and friends
in the industry. It also helps to be intelligent.

9. Your best Career Experience and in which part of the World?

This was in when I was in Malaysia. I managed projects in several countries and
got to learn a large number of technologies. It was also great to see how the
same work was done differently in different companies and in different countries.
My client was very good and it was like working with friends and family. The
expatriate Pakistani community in Malaysia is warm and inviting. Me and my
wife made some really good friends there. I also got to travel to Bangkok quite a
bit which was always nice.

10. Your worst Career Experience and in which part of the world?
This was in North America in the years 2001 and 2002. The industry had taken a
downturn and I had to lay off a large number of very hardworking, very talented
and very loyal employees. It was a difficult time; I lost some friendships along
the way and had to deal with the realities of being a manager in economically
challenging times.

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11. You always been considered as very Energetic guy, where do u get such kind of
motivation/energy on daily basis?
I always find something to do that is of great interest to me. I have had several
jobs during my career but there has always been one reason for me changing
my jobs. That is being bored by what I do. It is easy to be energetic when you
love what you do. Also, I am very competitive and, I believe, a perfectionist.
Those attributes keep me going.

12. 3 Advices for Telecom Professionals who are in Telecom Consultancy.

a. Do what you enjoy and love doing. No matter what it pays, a job you do not
like is a bad job.
b. Do whatever you do well.
c. Have friends in the industry.

13. 3 Advices for our New Comers.

a. Learn from those who have done well in the industry.
b. Be ready for major changes in the industry.
c. Have friends in the industry.

14. Your views on ZUMBEEL.

I love ZUMBEEL. I always have. I wish I had more time to be actively involved in
all that happens at ZUMBEEL. I have seen it grow from a small Yahoo group to a
major career management site. I have often looked up technical information at
ZUMBEEL and the new focus on careers and networking is great. I hope it
continue to grow and thrive.

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