Appointment of Analjit Singh as Chairman of Vodafone India

Vodafone announces today that Analjit Singh is to be appointed non-executive Chairman of Vodafone India.

Analjit Singh is a leading industry figure in India. He is the Founder and Chairman of Max India Limited as well as its subsidiaries such as Max New York Life Insurance Company Limited, Max Healthcare Institute Limited and Max Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited.

Vittorio Colao, Chief Executive of Vodafone Group, said “Analjit has been a longstanding, reliable and trustworthy partner in India.”

Nick Read, CEO of Vodafone’s Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific region, said: “I am delighted to announce Analjit’s appointment as Chairman of Vodafone’s operations in India. Analjit brings a wealth of business experience and is one of India’s leading entrepreneurs. He knows our business well, having been the Founder and Chairman of Max Telecom, the business which has grown to become Vodafone India with nearly 150 million customers.”

Analjit Singh commented: “It is a great honour to become Chairman of Vodafone India, a company I have been involved with since its inception. The business has performed strongly in the market under Vodafone’s stewardship and I look forward to working with Vodafone India CEO Marten Pieters and his team as the company continues to compete strongly in the fast-growing mobile market.’’

The appointment is effective from 16 February 2012, following formal approval from the Board of Vodafone India.

Notes to Editors:

About Analjit Singh
Analjit Singh was the former non-executive Chairman of Indus Towers, India’s leading Shared Telecom Infrastructure Services Company. He is a Director on the board of several leading Indian companies such as Tata Global Beverages, Hero MotoCorp and Dabur. He has recently been awarded one of India’s highest civilian honours, the Padma Bhushan, by the President of India for his contribution towards building ‘India Inc.’. Analjit Singh is also a member of the Prime Minister’s Joint Indo-US CEOs Forum.

Analjit Singh has always taken a keen interest in enhancing India’s academic excellence. He is currently an Executive Board Member of the Board of Governors, Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, where he is jointly funding a new campus at Mohali, Punjab and actively facilitating it as the Chairman, Mohali Campus Advisory Board, ISB. He has recently taken on the role of the Chairman of the Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. In addition, he is the Chairman, Board of Governors, The Doon School, Dehradun.

Analjit Singh has extensive charitable and philanthropic interests. He is actively involved in social service, through his role as the Chairman and Chief Patron of Max India Foundation (MIF), which is committed to fostering an inclusive society and partners with several NGOs such as SOS Children’s Village, Manav Seva Sannidhi, CanSupport and Chinmaya Mission. MIF’s main focus areas are: providing improved access to quality healthcare for the underprivileged, particularly children; creating awareness on health-related issues such as women’s health, cancer, cardiovascular diseases and immunisation of children; and improving awareness of environmental issues with a view to supporting a sustainable and eco-friendly environment.

Analjit Singh is an alumnus of Doon School, Dehradun; Shriram College of Commerce, University of Delhi; School of Management and the Graduate School of Management, Boston University, Boston, USA. He is married and has three children.

About Vodafone India
Vodafone India is a member of the Vodafone Group and commenced operations in 1994 when its predecessor Hutchison Telecom acquired the cellular license for Mumbai. The company now has operations across the country with over 147 million customers.

Vodafone India has been awarded the “Best Mobile Service Provider 2011” at the Aegis Graham Bell Awards 2011. Also, in a survey conducted by India’s leading financial daily, Vodafone India features in the Top 10 ‘Most Trusted Brands in India’ for 2011. The company has also been awarded ‘Most Respected Company’ in the Telecom Sector for 2010, in a survey conducted by a leading business daily. Vodafone India, in line with its group philosophy has released the Corporate Sustainability Report for India – Footprints 2010-11. To view the online version of the report, please visit www.vodafone.in 

About Vodafone Group
Vodafone Group is one of the world's largest mobile communications companies by revenue with over 398 million customers in its controlled and jointly controlled markets as at December 31, 2011. Vodafone currently has equity interests in over 30 countries across five continents and more than 40 partner networks worldwide. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.com