Manoj Kohli (cio.co.ke)
Kohli, according to Airtel, is expected to lead the company towards reviving its mobile business.
Following the new appointment, the incumbent chairman and managing director Sunil Mittal will be reassigned as executive chairman of the company.
In October last year, HumanIPO reported Kohli as rumoured to be a likely heir of the position. He was headhunted by Mittal in 2002, and was named president of the company’s mobile services.
Kohli currently heads Airtel’s international operations as its CEO and is in addition a joint managing director of the company.
The veteran manager is currently based at the headquarters of Bharti Airtel's African operations in Nairobi, Kenya.
In a filing to stock exchanges, Bharti Airtel stated the board changes will be considered at the company's board meeting today, and would also see Gopal Vittal, the new CEO of Bharti Airtel's India business, named the joint managing director.
The restructuring comes at a time when Airtel is seeking to improve its profitability, while at the same time augmenting its 3G and 4G network subscriber base.