Telenor India, on Monday announced that it has appointed Sharad Mehrotra as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Sharad Mehrotra will succeed Vivek Sood who has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer in Telenor Group. Both appointments will be effective from 1 November 2015.
 
“I am pleased to welcome Sharad as CEO of Telenor India. He has extensive knowledge about the Indian telecom market, and international experience from other Telenor operations. I am confident that he will return to India with strong ambition to further develop the company as a profitable operator, and the preferred choice for the mass market“, said Sigve Brekke, President and CEO of Telenor Group.
 
Sharad Mehrotra comes from the position as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of Telenor Myanmar, where he has played a key role in the successful launch of Telenor’s mobile services. In less than one year, Telenor Myanmar has positioned itself as one of the country’s most visible brands, adding more than 10 million customers and established over 50 000 points of sales. Before joining Telenor Myanmar, Sharad served as Head of Telenor Group's Asia Distribution program driving regional synergies and scale. Sharad also played a key role in the establishment of Uninor, as part of the management from 2008 to 2013.
 
“India is one of the most competitive mobile markets in the world, and Telenor India has rapidly grown into a top position in the areas where we operate. I look forward to work with Telenor India’s passionate and highly dedicated team to continue being best on basic services and deliver internet for all”, says Sharad Mehrotra, incoming CEO of Telenor India.
 
Vivek Sood has been appointed Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer in Telenor Group. In his new role Vivek will be responsible for strengthening Telenor Group’s focus on and ability to improve customer journeys, ensure continued innovation, and create value from digital data growth. As CEO of Telenor India, Sharad will also be a member of Telenor Group’s executive management.
 
Sood has more than 22 years of experience with companies like Tata AIG Life Insurance, Hutchison Telecom, Tupperware India and Hindustan Lever Limited (now Unilever).Prior to his India role,  during his two year tenure as CEO of Grameenphone, the largest mobile operator in Bangladesh, Grameenphone has significantly strengthened its market position and gained financial strength. Under him, Grameenphone crossed the 50 million customer milestone and became first country within the Telenor Group to do so. Before moving to Grameenphone, Sood was the chief financial officer (CFO) at Uninor. Sood is a chartered accountant by profession. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Delhi University.