Airtel appoints Vani Venkatesh as CEO-Retail

Bharti Airtel, Indias largest telecommunications services provider, today announced the appointment of Vani Venkatesh as CEO - Retail.

In her new role, Vani Venkatesh will be responsible for driving Airtels retail strategy to deliver a seamless and world-class customer experience across retail touch points.

Vani Venkatesh takes over from Rohit Malhotra, who after spending over nine years with the company in various senior positions, has decided to pursue opportunities outside of Airtel.

Commenting on the appointment, Gopal Vittal, MD & CEO (India & South Asia), Bharti Airtel said, “We are delighted to have Vani on board and are confident that her rich experience will add to our initiatives to ensure customer delight across our retail points."

Vani brings with her over 19 years of work experience. In her last role, she was responsible for the medical nutrition business at Abbott Healthcare (India).

Prior to Abbott Healthcare, she worked with McKinsey & Company, where she led projects across industries, helping her clients to plan and implement successful retail strategies. She began her career with Hindustan Unilever. Vani Venkatesh is an MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and is also a qualified CA, cost and works accountant and company secretary. The company has revamped and rolled out company owned company operated (COCO) Airtel stores across the country as a one stop shop for all customer requirements. Till date over 550 COCO stores in multiple formats have been opened across the country. These COCO stores are supplemented by over 2,400 franchisee retail stores across India.