Telstra names Upendra Kohli as new MD for India operations

Based in Bangalore, Kohli will develop and execute Telstra’s overall strategy for the Indian sub-continent and is responsible for customer relationships throughout the country.

He will also drive relations with all Business Process Outsource (BPO) and IT service providers globally and work across the company to help coordinate the various strategic relationships Telstra has in India.

Kohli joins Telstra with more than two decades of experience in IT and telecoms across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (MEA).

He spent the past 13 years with Infosys, where he most recently led the South-East Asia and MEA regions.

Prior to this, Upendra led a number of Infosys’ industry verticals, including telecoms, in the APAC and MEA regions, and played a leading role in establishing Infosys’ first Australian and MEA businesses.

Speaking about his appointment, Martijn Blanken, Chief Customer Officer, Global Enterprise and Services, Telstra, said: “India has quickly become a strategically important market, both as a region where we serve a wide range of enterprise and carrier customers, and as a country where Telstra works with service partners to support our global and Australian operations.”

“Upendra’s appointment builds on our recent momentum in India, including the launch of end-to-end network solutions underpinned by Points of Presence (PoP) in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and virtual PoPs in Pune and Kolkata. We’re excited to welcome Upendra to the team and look forward to seeing him take our India business from strength to strength,” said Blanken.