Arun Sarin named top British businessman in telecoms
Saturday, 26 April 2008, 17:55 IST
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London: Arun Sarin, the Indian-born head of Vodafone, has topped a list of Britain's leading businessmen in the technology and telecoms sector. The Daily Telegraph, which will run lists of the top 100 businessmen in all leading sectors through the week, also put Nikesh Arora, Google's 40-year-old president for Europe, Middle East and Africa, at number four. "Sarin survived a boardroom rumpus and a slew of shareholder dissent in 2006, but he made 2007 his year. The man in charge of the world's biggest mobile phone network finally persuaded investors that his strategy stacks up," the newspaper said. It said the Indian-born American has "silenced many of his former City critics in the process," with Vodafone's move into India last year "starting to look like a masterstroke" emulated by rivals seek to offset slowing growth in western Europe. "Vodafone shares have lost a little momentum but, with a toehold in China, Sarin is well placed to take advantage of an impending shake-up of the mobile market in the world's most populous country," it added. Arora, one of Google's most senior executives outside Silicon Valley, joined the company after being interviewed by founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin as he was wandering around the British Museum, the paper disclosed. Hired to help Google emulate its American growth in other markets, particularly Britain, Arora is now responsible for Google's business across 28 offices with a team of more than 2,500 people. "His success has seen US-educated Arora linked with several high-profile UK chief executive positions," the paper said, describing Arora as, "Dressed-down in style, yet hugely ambitious."
Source: IANS
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