Balesh Sharma has stepped down as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vodafone Idea on account of personal reasons. Ravinder Takkar, currently Vodafone Group’s representative in India, has been appointed as his successor with immediate effect.
Sharma will be taking up a new role with Vodafone Group, which will be announced in due course. He has been the CEO of Vodafone Idea since the completion of the merger, and prior to that was serving as the Chief Operating Officer of Vodafone India.
Meanwhile, Takkar is currently a Board member of Vodafone Idea and Indus Towers, where he is responsible for all Vodafone Group interests in India, a role which he took on in 2017. Prior to that, Takkar was the CEO of Vodafone Romania for three years and CEO of Vodafone Partner Markets in London. He has been with Vodafone Group since 1994 and brings a wealth of experience in telecom industry having worked in several leadership positions across Vodafone’s operating companies over the last 25 years.
Commenting on the development, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Idea Limited, said, “I would like to thank Balesh for his leadership and the successful integration of the two businesses. Under Balesh’s stewardship, Vodafone Idea has realised a significant proportion of the synergies in a much shorter timescale than originally estimated. I wish him every success in his next role. I am pleased to welcome Ravinder Takkar as our new MD & CEO. Ravinder is well versed with the Vodafone Idea business context and I am confident that he will successfully steer the company through the next phase of development and help unlock its full potential.”
