Vodafone India announced on Thursday that CEO Martin Pieters will step down and be replaced by operating chief Sunil Sood.
Pieters was named chief executive in February 2009; he joined fro m Luxembourg-based Millicom, where he served as non-executive director. During his tenure, Vodafone India doubled its revenues and added more than 100 million customers.
"Marten has been a fantastic leader in India and a wise and trusted contributor across the group as a whole. He will stand down from his role as chief executive with warm thanks from everyone in Vodafone," said Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao, in a statement.
Stepping up to the plate is insider Sunil Sood. He joined the company in 2000, when it was still Hutchison Essar; Vodafone bought the business in 2007 for £5.7 billion. Over the years Sood has managed Vodafone India’s operations in Gujarat, Kolkata and Chennai. In his current role as COO, Sood is responsible for the telco’s day-to-day operations, P&L management and business development.
"The business will remain in good hands with Sunil who has also been integral to the growth of the company and the development of its capabilities, helping to drive consistent results through both good and challenging years," said Serpil Timuray, CEO of Vodafone’s Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific (AMAP) region.
"I look forward to working with Sunil to build on the successes of a business widely admired in India and internationally," added Colao.
Vodafone India said it will announce a new COO in due course.
"It has been a pleasure and a privilege to lead Vodafone India and I would like to thank all of my colleagues for their passion and commitment in support of our goals over the last six years," Pieters said. "I am delighted to hand over to Sunil; we have worked closely together throughout my time with Vodafone and I could not wish for a better successor."
