P. Balaji new Nokia India vice president, managing director

New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) Finnish mobile handsets maker Nokia Friday said it had appointed P. Balaji as vice president and managing director for the India area.

"In this role, Balaji will be responsible for growing Nokia's mobile phones and smart devices business in India while providing strategic direction and operational focus, the company said in a statement.

Besides building and consolidating Nokia's market presence, Balaji will focus on energizing the Nokia brand, driving partnerships and strategic alliances and developing the capabilities of the Nokia organization in India.

"Balaji is highly respected in the IT and telecom industry and has an excellent track record of managing businesses, people, customer and government relationships. He brings in exceptional understanding of the telecom industry having worked in diverse functions across the sector,"D.Shivakumar, Nokia senior vice-president for India, Middle East and Africa said.

Balaji brings with him over two decades of experience in the IT and telecom industry.

In his previous role as managing director of Sony Mobile Communications, India, he was responsible for growth strategy, establishing strong operator and distribution partnerships and driving sales for the company.

In the last 22 years, Balaji has held leadership roles in diverse functions spanning across sales, marketing, product management, operations, strategy, technical solutions, communications and corporate affairs in Ericsson, Lucent Technologies, AT&T and Tata group.