India cellular services major Bharti Airtel Ltd Friday clarified that the company veteran Manoj Kohli has resigned from the board of Bharti Airtel as non-executive director, but will continue to be managing director of Bharti Enterprises.
“As MD of Bharti Enterprises, Manoj leads the oversight of all non-telecom businesses of the group – Retail, Insurance, Food & Agri, Realty and others, and works closely with the respective CEOs,” Bharti Airtel said in a press statement. Kohli is also responsible for Business Development and Corporate Affairs on a group wide basis, it added.
On Wednesday, Bharti Airtel had announced that Kohli has stepped down as the non-executive director of the company which created confusion in the market that he quit the group completely. The company also appointed Shishir Priyadarshi as an independent director on the same day.
Earlier in April last year, Kolhi had stepped down as managing director and CEO (International) of Bharti Airtel, and was then appointed as chairman of Bharti Airtel for its Africa business.
After Kohli, Bharti Airtel had promoted the then CEO and Joint MD Gopal Vittal as managing director and CEO (India & South Asia), wherein he will have the added responsibility of overlooking Airtel’s Bangladesh and Sri Lanka operations.
Kohli, who was previously chief of African telecom business before being brought back as overall managing director of Bharti Airtel but with responsibility of international operations, was made managing director of Bharti Enterprises, the private group holding firm of the Mittal family, in the same month.
Kohli started his career with DCM Ltd and left the company as vice president, responsible for the air conditioning and refrigeration business unit, after a stint of 16 years. He subsequently worked at AlliedSignal/Honeywell, and was also heading Escotel for over five years as its executive director and CEO, before joining Bharti Airtel.
Shares of Bharti Airtel closed on Friday at Rs 367.55 per share, up 1.14 per cent from their previous close on BSE in weak Mumbai market.