Interview with Tom Chottayil Varghese

How did the cooperation between Alarga and Telenor help you as student?

Alarga cooperates with several Norwegian companies to recruit the top Norwegian students, preferably students with cross-cultural competence, international experience and additional language skills. The program offers a scholarship, a mentor from Telenor and an internship. I spent the summer of 2011 working for Telenor and enjoyed it so much I decided to accept a fulltime position after finishing my studies.

Through this program I realized that it is not only academic credentials that matter, but the value of international experience, languages skills and the ability to solve practical challenges are important as well. It also taught me that as a student you should focus on developing qualities that make you stand out from the crowd, and not just formally qualified.

Why did you want to work in Telenor?

The people working in Telenor drew me to the company; they are very competent and go out of their way to work as a team. I was offered a position working with governmental relations in Asia, which was just what I wanted to do. I believe that Telenor is the company in Norway with the biggest footprint in Asia, with over 100 million customers in 5 different countries in the region.

One of the most important political trends of our time is the increasing importance of Asia. Telenor is ahead of the curve and has critical advantage as they moved into these markets early on. It’s a company with that kind of mindset I want to be part of. Also the Internal Mobility in Telenor is excellent, which was an important factor in my decision.

What are your main assignments?

My main assignment is to work as an advisor in governmental relations in Asia. In short, this means improving Telenor Group’s business environment and relations with stakeholders – including government, international organizations and others. I focus on assisting our business units with the policy challenges they face, but also on initiatives that demonstrate how Telenor contributes to the different societies where they operate.

What do you think about the working environment in Telenor?

I am quite enthusiastic about the working environment. I work in a small unit, so the relationship with my co-workers is important. They have a lot of experience and we try to build on each other’s knowledge and experience. It is a fun job, with a lot of variety, in an exciting industry.

Do you have any hobbies or activities you do on your free time?

I am of course interested in politics and follow public debates closely. In addition to that I also write the occasional book review or op-ed for Norwegian magazines and newspapers.

Literature is also a passion of mine…relaxing and just simply reading a good book.

Do you feel you can separate work and free time?

Yes. At times it is important that you are reachable, but in my experience the work-life balance in Telenor is comfortable. I have a workload that make it manageable to maintain a separation between work and private life.