Taking the helm as Axiata Group Berhad's head of wholesale in September, Obaid Ur Rahman joined the Malaysian telco on a mission to drive synergies across existing opcos and infrastructure, while positioning the group as a key wholesale player across Asia. Responsible for the consolidation and optimisation of the wholesale division across Axiata's six markets – Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Cambodia – Rahman brings more than 24 years of experience to the group. Moving regions during a pandemic adds a certain twist, but two quarters into his new role at the time of interview and Rahman reports that, "from a professional standpoint it was a perfect time." "Across the whole region, Axiata itself and other telecoms companies were transitioning. What that meant was one could come in and start from scratch. The planets were aligning for someone to come in, build the capability and initiate a new wave of change," he recalls.