Prashanth Mani has joined Motorola group’s smartphone business as India country head, replacing veteran Sudhin Mathur who stepped down in April, according to sources.

ET had earlier reported about the speculation of the appointment in its June 4 issue.

Mani previously worked at Samsung India, where he was vice president of retail and go-to-market for the mobile division. In his new job at Motorola Mobility, his immediate mandate is expected to be to turn around the Chinese electronics company’s smartphone business in India and bring it back into the top three.

Mani, an engineering-MBA graduate, had a five-year stint in Samsung India, according to his LinkedIn profile, and was previously with Nokia India.

(Reported ET)