Bharti Airtel (Airtel) on Thursday said it has appointed Jinesh Hegde as Chief Executive Officer of its Sri Lanka operations. He takes on this role from Suren Goonewardene.
In his new role, Hegde will report to Ajai Puri, Director - Market Operations (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel, the company said in a statement.
“I am confident that his rich and diverse experience and able leadership will add immense value to Airtel’s growth plans in Sri Lanka,” Puri said.
Suren Goonewardene has been re-designated as Non-Executive Chairman of Airtel Lanka.
Hegde has spent the past 14 years in the telecommunications industry, both in the consumer and enterprise space covering mobile, fixed line and enterprise business. Prior to joining Airtel, he has worked with Uninor (a subsidiary of Telenor Group – Norway in India).
A Mechanical Engineer from the Karnataka University in India, he also has a MBA in General Management from the Indian Institute of Management (Calcutta). He has also attended a Digital Marketing programme at INSEAD, and a Marketing Management programme from the London Business School, London.
Airtel had launched its services in Sri Lanka in 2009 and offers mobile voice, data and enterprise solutions. With a network comprising 2G and 3G HSPA+ services. Airtel Lanka’s 3G presence is across 70 per cent of its network.