Abhishek Sharma
Copper Canyon,U.S.A
Summary
Senior Program & Solution Manager with 25+ years of experience delivering multi-million-dollar telecommunications programs for CSPs and enterprise private wireless networks. Proven leader across pre-sales, solution strategy, and end-to-end delivery for 4G/5G, Private LTE, and Open/Cloud RAN initiatives. Known for driving complex transformations, aligning technology to business outcomes, and building trusted executive-level customer relationships.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Customer Solution Architect- Private Wireless Network
Nokia Networks
10.2022 - Current
- Partner with the sales team to understand customer use cases, pain points, and digital transformation goals to position Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (NDAC)—a turnkey private 4G/5G wireless solution.
- Led pre-sales engagements for enterprise private 4G/5G deployments, supporting customers across utilities, energy, ports and manufacturing verticals, contributing to pipeline growth and deal closures.
- Owned solution scoping, BoQs, pricing, and approvals, ensuring commercially viable and scalable NDAC deployments.
- Delivered technical workshops, demos, and executive presentations, influencing customer architecture decisions and accelerating buying cycles.
- Develop detailed Bill of Quantities (BoQs), Solution Description Documents, and Statement of Compliance (SoC)/Point-by-Point responses aligned to RFP/RFI requirements.
- Supported product management with competitive insights and customer feedback, shaping roadmap priorities.
- Supported deals valued at $38 Mn
Lead Program Business Manager
Nokia Networks
09.2021 - 09.2022
- Managed seven Nokia markets across West & South regions, overseeing NAS & NPO service delivery.
- Expanded NAS services into new markets, generating $1M incremental service revenue.
- Standardized delivery processes and governance models, improving execution efficiency across regions.
- Led geographically distributed teams across three time zones, ensuring consistent delivery and customer satisfaction.
- Authored a delivery playbook adopted across multiple markets.
- Recipient of the Nokia ACE Award for exceptional delivery performance.
Regional Lead Project Manager
Samsung Electronics
01.2021 - 08.2021
- Managed Nokia's transition to Samsung RAN products in six of Verizon’s Northeast markets.
- Managed resource allocation, task delegation, deliverable tracking, and risk mitigation while also overseeing project LOEs, Statements of Work, migration plans, and more.
- Spearheaded process enhancements and best practice implementation to optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of the C&I team
Lead Program Business Manager
Nokia Networks
11.2012 - 12.2020
- Held overall responsibility for leading the customer delivery team, encompassing Planning, Implementation, and Operations support.
- Managed a team of market managers and GDC engineers, contributing to Nokia's project success and meeting annual revenue targets.
- Maintained a continuous focus on identifying improvements, conducting evaluations, and diligently tracking risks.
- Pioneered a roadmap for extending services to rural America, laying the foundation for 5G deployment using the new 600 MHz spectrum.
- Spearheaded the development of streamlined processes and actively sought automation opportunities to reduce errors and enhance delivery efficiency.
- Created a comprehensive playbook for the seamless adoption of best practices, lessons learned, and process diagrams by other regions and markets
NPO cluster Head for East Africa region
Nokia Networks
10.2008 - 10.2012
- Led cross-functional teams in nine African countries, overseeing PMs, SMEs, Engineers, Vendors, and Partners.
- Managed the PMO, Vendor relationships, and Regional Project Managers, fostering high-level customer relationships.
- Successfully executed three simultaneous projects totaling EUR 13.9M with a 38% gross margin.
- Maintained efficient project tracking, including risk logs, resource charts, and revenue vs. gross margin analysis
Multiple
05.2001 - 04.2008
- Solutions Consultant at Aircom supporting Zain Network in Zambia April 2008 - Aug 2008
- Team lead at FCCI Dubai supporting Du Network for Abu Dhabi Region Dec 2007 - April 2008
- Senior RF Consultant at Mycom supporting MTN Tehran region, Iran Nov 2007 - Dec 2007
- Project Manager at Bharti Airtel, India, supporting Delhi Circle, India Nov 2005 - May 2007
- Sr Consultant at Aircom India Oct 2004 - Nov 2005
- Zonal Technical Manager at Bharti-Airtel, India UP(East) May 2003 - Oct 2004
- Assistant Manager at Escotel Networks Haryana Circle, India Oct 2002 - May 2003
- Sr Engineer (BSS) at Kashika India supporting UP East Circle, India May 2002 - Oct 2002
- Sr Engineer (BSS) at Essar India supporting Haryana Circle, India May 2001 - May 2002
Education
General Management Program -
Indian School of Business
Hyderabad04.2023
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics & Communication
Allahabad University
Allahabad05.2001
Skills
- Program & Portfolio Management
- Multi-Market & Multi-Vendor Delivery
- Revenue & Margin Ownership
- Risk, Schedule & Budget Management
- Pre-Sales to Delivery Transition
- Executive & Customer Stakeholder Management
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- RFP / RFX & Contract Governance
- Telecom Networks: 4G / 5G / Private LTE / Open RAN
Certification
- Project Management Professional
- PMI | June 2015
- Certification # 1824684
Timeline
Customer Solution Architect- Private Wireless Network
Nokia Networks
10.2022 - Current
Lead Program Business Manager
Nokia Networks
09.2021 - 09.2022
Regional Lead Project Manager
Samsung Electronics
01.2021 - 08.2021
Lead Program Business Manager
Nokia Networks
11.2012 - 12.2020
NPO cluster Head for East Africa region
Nokia Networks
10.2008 - 10.2012
Multiple
05.2001 - 04.2008
General Management Program -
Indian School of Business
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics & Communication
Allahabad University