Indian handset maker, Micromax, on Thursday announced Sanjay Kapoor, former CEO of Bharti Airtel as the Micromax Chairman and promoter.

Micromax will be leveraging Sanjay's experience in building Airtel and his industry expertise built playing an active role in prominent industry forums like GSMA, CII, COAI and NASSCOM over the past 13 years, says the statement issued by the company.

"We are glad to have Sanjay to be a part of Micromax's promoter group and on our board as the new chairman. Sanjay is one of the most respected professionals in the Indian corporate world and has been instrumental in building some of the most successful technology brands in the country over the past three decades. I am confident that he will be able to provide required strategic direction to take our billion dollar business to the next level of growth and expansion", said Rahul Sharma, co-founder of Micromax Informatics.

"Sanjay's strategic and inspirational leadership skills will certainly provide strong impetus to Micromax as we pursue our aim to be the first Indian hardware brand driving success globally. He will be instrumental in building synergies for our existing international businesses and spearhead our foray into other international markets in the near future", added Rahul Sharma.

"I am excited as an entrepreneur to be a part of the promoter group and as a professional to lead the Micromax board & management. I look forward to adding value to all stakeholders leveraging my strengths in building scale, developing brands and understanding consumers. There is a tremendous potential for Micromax, a vibrant youth brand that has led the democratization of technology for masses, offering affordable innovations to the consumers", said Sanjay Kapoor, chairman, Micromax Informatics. 

"Micromax is truly the new age brand that has made an indelible mark on the industry within a short time by changing the dynamics of the mobile eco-system. Proliferation in data services and cutting edge devices that make technology affordable for masses will be critical for next phase of growth and I am confident that Micromax will lead this transition", added Sanjay Kapoor.

Sanjay was the chief executive officer for India and South Asia of Airtel (March 2010 till May 2013). Sanjay remains one of the key executives in building Bharti Airtel from being one of the many players in the industry to making it a leading telecom player, during his tenure with the company from July 1998 to May 2013.
 
He has also been a board and executive committee member of GSMA, (the global forum bringing together nearly 800 global mobile operators); board member of Indus Towers (a telecom tower company with a portfolio of more than 1 lakh towers). Presently, Sanjay is an active member on the board of Bennett, Coleman & Company Limited and PVR.