Airtel appoints Jinesh Hegde as CEO/MD of Sri Lanka; Suren as Non-Executive Chairman

Chief Executive Officer,Managing Director Jinesh Hegde 

Bharti Airtel (Airtel) yesterday announced the appointment of Jinesh Hegde as Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director of its Sri Lankan operations.

He takes on this role from Suren Goonewardene. In his new role, Jinesh will report to Ajai Puri, Director – Market Operations (India and South Asia), Bharti Airtel.



Commenting on the appointment Ajai Puri said, “We are pleased to have Jinesh on board. I am confident that his rich and diverse experience and able leadership will add immense value to Airtel’s growth plans in Sri Lanka. I wish Jinesh the very best for his new role and look forward to working with him.”

Jinesh brings with him over two decades of experience across general management and business operations and has a flair for people management in terms of engagement and connectivity. He has spent the past fourteen years in the telecommunications industry, in both the consumer and enterprise space covering mobile, fixed line and enterprise business. Prior to joining Airtel, Jinesh worked with Uninor (a subsidiary of Telenor Group – Norway in India).

A Mechanical Engineer from the Karnataka University in India, Jineshalso has a MBA in General Management from theIndian Institute of Management (Calcutta). He has alsoattended a Digital Marketing program at INSEAD, and a Marketing Management program from the London Business School, London. 

Suren Goonewardene has been re-designated as Non-Executive Chairman of Airtel Lanka.