Nokia has appointed Tarun Chhabra, formerly the head of mobile networks and senior vice president, as its new India head in the midst of an organizational restructuring.
This restructuring also included streamlining functions such as sales and marketing, resulting in cutting down 11,000 to 14,000 jobs.
The adjustments are in line with the company's restructuring initiative, unveiled last year, in which the company aims to decrease its global workforce, as per a report by moneycontrol.
Sanjay Malik, senior vice president, will continue with the company until March 31, 2024, while Chhabra assumes his position. Sanjay Malik has led the Indian market operations for nearly eight years. He was a part of India's global customer experience or sales vertical, reporting to Rick Corker, the chief customer experience officer at Nokia.
With reporting lines to Tommi Uitto, President of Mobile Networks at Nokia, Chhabra will be assuming a dual role. He will oversee the Indian market while also taking on responsibility for the mobile networks group's India business. Nokia India issued a statement confirming Chhabra's appointment as the new country head for the Indian market, effective April 2024.
Last year, Nokia introduced strategic and operational changes, including increased operational autonomy for business groups globally, embedding sales teams, and resetting the cost base to ensure profitability amid market uncertainty.
In the December quarter, the company witnessed a 33 per cent decline in net sales in the Indian region, totaling 379 million euros for the October-December period of 2023. The decrease in 5G deployments by Indian telecom operators was cited as a significant factor influencing Nokia's sales decline.
