Abhesh Verma likes to describe himself as one of the early digital entrepreneurs across several industries in India. During a career spanning over 16 years, he has founded and has been associated with various start-ups in the e-commerce and digital technology spaces, including Indi-Ads.com, an online ad network; ShopClassic.com, an e-commerce website, India-Greetings.com; Realtors-India.com, which enables buying, selling and renting of houses; SEOIndia.com, which offers search engine optimisation services; and Smas-Hits.com, a music and entertainment site. “These experiences in the digital entertainment industry helped me in my work at Saavn, where I served as chief growth officer, and now at nexGTV, where I am serving as chief operating officer,” he says.

At nexGTV, he spearheads executive decision-making and long-term strategic planning. He is responsible for devising strategies to grow revenue, expand the company’s user base and add more value to the brand proposition through business alliances.

According to Verma, the over-the-top (OTT)/mobile TV sector faces several issues today. One of these is the lack of ubiquitous, high-speed internet connectivity, which makes service dissemination patchy and renders a broken end-user viewing experience. As for the telecom sector, he believes that the launch of 4G-LTE services will see players converging to secure a sizeable share of the market. “We can expect telecom companies to invest capital in improving the general as well as the internet connectivity infrastructure. Moreover, as 4G technologies evolve, we may also see a lowering of prices for high-speed internet connections and more rapid smartphone adoption.”

Verma describes his management style as open. He likes interacting with his teams and clients. “I encourage prompt feedback and maintain healthy two-way communication channels in order to facilitate innovation and foster creativity within my teams. I am also a firm believer in the concept that positivity breeds positive results,” he says.

Verma is a mechanical engineer and has done a master’s in business administration and management. When not at work, he likes to catch up with friends and watching movies. “I make it a point to go for movies every weekend as it reinvigorates me for the coming week and helps me stay connected with the consumer pulse.” His family comprises his parents, his wife and their two children, all of whom live in the US.