Bharti Airtel's ex-CEO joins Micromax

Second top-level appointment in two weeks, Vineet Taneja joined as CEO from rival Samsung

Micromax, India’s second largest handsetmaker, on Thursday said it has inducted Sanjay Kapoor, former chief executive officer (CEO) of the country’s largest cellular operator Bharti Airtel, to the Micromax promoter group and chairman of the board with immediate effect. The announcement comes within two weeks after it announced the appointment of Vineet Taneja as its CEO who joined from its rival Samsung Electronics. In the coming months, the company is likely to get more professionals on board under the Kapoor-Taneja duo.

“The company has grown to become a billion dollar organisation. There’s always an inflexion point when professionals suit better to take the company to the next level. The dream team is here to make Micromax a truly global organisation,” said Rahul Sharma, co-founder,  Micromax said.



The founder of the company will continue to mentor the professionals-led Micromax. As Kapoor will be part of the promoter group, he will have some equity in the company, but the company declined to give details on the quantum of equity. Kapoor, who worked with Bharti Airtel for about 15 years, quit Airtel about a year ago.

Kapoor had also worked with Xerox India as director (operations) before joining Bharti Airtel."Sanjay, with his vast experience, will be able to provide required strategic direction to take our billion dollar business to the next level of growth and expansion. We are building capabilities," said Sharma.

While Micromax, in a statement, said it targets to become the largest smartphone player and the first Indian mobile brand to be successful globally, the company is certainly looking beyond just handsets. But, for now, Sharma said, it will focus on tapping the low-penetration smartphone market. Kapoor will spearhead the company's foray into other international markets in the near future and will look after building synergies for our existing international businesses.

"Proliferation in data services and cutting edge devices that make technology affordable for masses will be critical for the next phase of growth and I am confident that Micromax will lead this transition," said Kapoor.