Gaurav Desai

“Even if something hasn’t been done before, we encourage trying new approaches.”

As a Senior Director in the Connectivity and Network Engineering practice, Gaurav Desai leads with curiosity, customer empathy, and a passion for innovation. In this Q&A, Gaurav shares what drives him, how he’s helping shape the future of connectivity, and why this is the right place for ambitious problem-solvers.

What does a typical day look like for you?

My day revolves around understanding customer challenges and crafting the right solutions. Over the past year, our practice has grown rapidly focusing on people, processes, and solutions to build trust and deepen relationships with key clients.

Right now, my team and I are leading architecture and engineering efforts for major telecommunications providers. We’re committed to delivering the right solutions, uplifting skills, aligning on KPIs, and driving efficiency and profitability for both our organization and our customers.

What advice would you give someone considering a career in your area?

A genuine passion for solving customer problems is essential. While technical expertise matters, applying a customer-first mindset and understanding how your work adds value is critical.

I would say the key skills include:

• Customer empathy
• Problem-solving
• Stakeholder management, and most importantly,
• A solution-oriented, innovative mindset

Even if something hasn’t been done before, we encourage trying new approaches to develop solutions that the client may never have thought about.

What excites you most about your role?

Continuous improvement is a must, even in long-term engagements. So, I really enjoy innovating within existing projects and tackling new challenges. I also apply strategic thinking, even things like game theory, when responding to proposals and proactive offers, considering how we position ourselves against competitors.

In our industry, everyone wants things done cheaper, better, and faster, so we must keep innovating. Growing our people’s capabilities and tapping into global expertise are also major priorities for myself and my team.

Looking ahead, staying ahead with new tools and technologies, especially practical applications of AI, will be key in my type of role.

What are the challenges in developing new technology skill sets, especially with AI?

We have brilliant engineers and architects, and we also have AI experts but it’s rare to find someone strong in all three areas. That’s where we see opportunity. Enabling our people to develop skills across engineering, architecture and AI will give us a competitive edge.

We also draw on global capabilities, collaborating with teams across regions and sharing use cases from around the world, to stay ahead as one global Capgemini.

Tell us about your career journey. What led you here?

I’ve always worked in telecommunications, spending 21 years in the industry, including eight years in general manager roles. After such a long time, I was excited to apply my knowledge from the service provider side to help clients from a consulting perspective.

The transition has been rewarding, especially with access to new tools, assets, and industry certifications that keep me sharp and up to date.

How does your work contribute to the mission of “getting the future you want”?

For me getting the future you want is about leadership and uplifting team capability. As our team grows, onboarding and cross-collaboration are key to ensuring everyone is ready to serve our clients and come up with innovation solutions to meet tomorrow’s needs.

Any final advice for people considering a career here?

You can absolutely leverage your expertise t Capgemini. This organization opens doors to your next career move, whether technical, managerial, or across divisions. With Capgemini’s broad industry presence and global reach, your next big opportunity could start here.

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