Ralph Yirikian shares the experience of business leadership and management of Viva-MTS to the students of the First Business School

Within the framework of a special training at the invitation of the First Business School, Viva-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian presented to the students his experience and knowledge in the field of business leadership and management.

The first Business School, which has been operating in Armenia since 2014, aims to develop the business environment in Armenia, in particular by training qualified, competitive staff and creating new startups.

Many of the graduates of the First Business School are already engaged in entrepreneurship or work in a professional field. This allowed the speaker to comprehensively present the topic, address a wide range of leadership and management skills, and provide concrete examples.

Ralph Yirikian touched upon the basic approaches and principles underlying the success of modern companies, using the example of Viva-MTS. During the lecture, Viva-MTS General Manager also spoke about the potential and innovativeness of a flexible marketing policy in the fields of technology and corporate governance.

“Viva-MTS pays great attention to the variety of services offered. Each individual and organization can find a tariff plan or package in accordance with their budget, requirements, preferences, in which they can combine one or another voice and Internet service, various applications. This is evaluated by our subscribers, which becomes obvious as a result of research aimed at assessing customer satisfaction,” said Ralph Yirikian.

Viva-MTS General Manager also spoke about the activities of Viva-MTS, presenting the work, successful experience and achievements aimed at the development of telecommunications and digital services. “We assessed the opportunities and risks and took the path of digital transformation. Viva-MTS is gradually becoming a technology company, an ICT company. In accordance with global trends, the mobile operator is moving in the digital direction. Digital transformation is another irreversible process after the company has chosen the “smart pipe” concept over the “dumb pipe” concept.

The speaker presented the important principles of leadership management, which, according to Yirikian, should guide a modern businessman. “The leader must have the qualities of a leader, but in a corporate environment, the implementation of leadership must be carried out within the framework of regulations, procedures, accepted norms, laws. At the same time, being a manager does not mean that a person with such a position should manage a large number of people. A manager is someone who leads the processes, manages the operation of critical infrastructure, a team of several people, coordinates and relationships with stakeholders,” Yirikian said.

Ralph Yirikian urged start-up entrepreneurs and professionals not to be in the “comfort zone”, never shy away from hardwork, not be afraid to make mistakes, choose unstable situations and environments, suffer, think, and find non-standard solutions.

“We must manage by setting an example. One of the first steps to becoming a leader is to take the initiative in the workplace,” concluded Ralph Yirikian.

At the end of the lecture, Viva-MTS General Manager answered the students’ questions.

Viva-MTS (MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications operator, having the widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice and Data services all across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people at heart since its launch on 1st July 2005 and in a short period of time Viva-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and a considerable customer base. Viva-MTS drives innovation and aims at always being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile communications market.  The company follows the guidance provided by ISO 26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility), ISO/IEC 27001:2013 (Information Security Management System), and ISO 37001 (International anti-bribery management systems standard).

Mobile TeleSystems PJSC (“MTS”) is the leading telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed voice, broadband, pay-TV as well as content and entertainment services in one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group services over 86.5 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Armenia and Belarus. Since June Y2000, MTS’ Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group can be found at: www.mtsgsm.com