Telecom Lead Asia: Mobile service provider Bharti Airtel is facing significant senior level exodus in 2012-13.
The resignations are ahead of the key restructuring that is slated to happen soon, where the company may combine its India and Africa operations under a single entity.
Shankar Halder, chief of operations, Network Services Group, Airtel – India & South Asia, has decided to pursue entrepreneurial interests outside the company , Economic Times reported.
In December 2012, Airtel’s supply chain head S Asokan, who was a member of the Airtel management board and had been with the telco for about seven years, put in his papers.
READ MORE: Kunwar Kishore Arora of Bharti Airtel joined NCR as country head for NCR Services India.
Recently, Bharti roped in Moti Gyamlani, GE Energy’s vice-president for its global supply chain function for a similar role and to oversee the logistics involved in running the company’s Indian and African operations.
Airtel, in an internal mail to top executives, said that it was consolidating the supply chain managementacross both continents under Gyamlani as part of its ‘One-Airtel’ strategy to create global synergies.
READ MORE: Bharti Airtel Africa, as part of strengthening its leadership team, has appointed new managing directors for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Gabon.
Last month, Airtel’s director for IT (India and South Asia), Amrita Gangotra, had quit to join Vodafone’s global team in London. Gangotra had been responsible for planning, implementation and strategy for all its IT initiatives across mobiles, fixedlines, braodband and DTH.
Airtel is planning to carry out a significant restructuring by combining its Indian and African operations into a single business entity under a global CEO in the first half of this year. Manoj Kohli, joint MD of Bharti and CEO of its African operations, could be the frontrunner to head the combined telecom business of the company across both continents
In August 2012, Bharti finished executing the One-Airtel structure in India and South Asia.
In its internal mail on Gyamlani’s appointment, the company also pointed out that it has already consolidated several key functions such as brand, finance, IT and innovation at a global level as part of its One-Airtel strategy aimed at bringing synergies and cutting costs.
For instance, Srikanth Balachander, its chief financial officer, has been overseeing this role for both the India and Africa businesses since mid-2011, and last year, the company also elevated Bharat Bambawale to its global brand director. Similarly, Bharti’s erstwhile IT head, Jai Menon, now heads global innovation. These executives currently report to Mittal, but work with Kohli and Kapoor.
READ MORE: In December 2011, Bharti Airtel has achieved more than 50 million customers in Africa, where it acquired mobile operations in 15 countries in a $10.7 billion deal in June 2010.
