Vi Starts Hunt for New CEO as Moondra's Term Nears End

Incumbent's 3-year term ends in Aug; Vi may consider CXOs from consumer and tech sectors

- Devina Sengupta & Jatin Grover

Vodafone Idea Ltd, India's third-largest telecom operator that just received a second lifeline from the government, is scouting for a chief executive officer (CEO) as incumbent Akshaya Moondra's term expires in August this year, according to two senior telecom executives aware of the development.

"The search for the new CEO has started and the telco may look at CXOs from industries like consumer and technology (sectors) who have a strong understanding of distribution," said one of the sector executives on the condition of anonymity.

Mint's emailed queries to Vi remained unanswered at the time of publishing.

A new CEO will join Vodafone Idea (Vi) as Indian wireless carriers have started looking beyond 4G and 5G. Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd and Bharti Airtel Ltd recently inked a pact with Elon Musk's SpaceX to offer Starlink satellite internet services to customers in India.