Airtel appoints Vani Venkatesh as CEO, Retail

India's largest mobile operator Bharti Airtel has appointed Vani Venkatesh as CEO - Retail, to strengthen subscriber touch points of telecom business.

Venkatesh takes over from Rohit Malhotra, who after over nine years with the company in various senior roles, has decided to pursue opportunities outside of Airtel, the company said in a statement.

Airtel said it has revamped and rolled out 'company-owned company-operated' Airtel stores across the country as one stop shop for customer requirements, and has 550 such stores across the country.

These stores are supplemented by over 2,400 franchisee retail stores across India, it said.

The company statement said Venkatesh 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), before which she worked with McKinsey and Company, helping clients plan and implement retail strategies.