Sports broadcaster ESPN Star Sports has announced the appointment of Manu Sawhney as its managing director.ESPN Star Sports has 17 networks covering 24 countries.The company said in a statement that Sawhney has become the MD and will assume charge with immediate effect. Sawhney replaces Jamie Davis who resigned from the company.Sawhney had joined the company in 1996 as a marketing manager and was promoted to the position of managing director of ESPN Software India in 1999. "He played an instrumental role in the growth of the company by leading negotiations of a number of sports acquisitions and key India affiliate renewals during his time in India," Russell Wolff, managing director, ESPN International and Paul Aiello, CEO, Star said.