Airtel appoints new CEO/MD while Suren Goonewardene appointed as chairman of local ops
View(s):India’s Bharti Airtel (Airtel) has appointed Suren Goonewardene, formerly CEO/Managing Director as non-executive chairman of the Sri Lankan operation with Jinesh Hegde taking over as CEO/MD.The company said in an announcement on Wednesday that Mr. Hegde will report to Ajai Puri, Director – Market Operations (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel.
Mr. Hegde brings with him over two decades of experience across General Management, Business Operations and has a flair for people management in terms of engagement and connectivity. He has spent the past fourteen years in the telecommunications industry, in both the consumer and enterprise space covering mobile, fixed line and enterprise business. Prior to joining Airtel, Mr. Hegde worked with Uninor (a subsidiary of Telenor Group – Norway in India).
Airtel launched its services in Sri Lanka in 2009 and offers mobile voice, data and enterprise solutions. With a network comprising of 2G and 3G HSPA+ services, Airtel Lanka’s 3G presence is across 70 per cent of its network.