Mumbai: Indian origin executive Vikram Sinha has been appointed as chief executive officer of telecommunications company PT Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison Tbk (Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison). The newly formed entity is Indonesia’s second-largest telco company.

PT Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison Tbk was formed following the completion of the proposed merger of Indonesia’s two leading telecommunications businesses, PT Indosat Tbk (Indosat Ooredoo) and PT Hutchison 3 Indonesia (H3I), after receiving all required shareholder and regulatory approvals. The merger was completed on 4 January.

Sinha was previously associated with Indosat Ooredoo as chief operating officer and director since 2019. He is a telecommunications industry veteran who has spent a decade with Bharti Airtel in India and Africa, before moving to the Ooredoo Group. At Ooredoo Group, he was posted in the Maldives in 2017 and later in Myanmar in 2018.

“We are pleased to combine two of Indonesia’s leading telecoms brands to create a stronger number two player in Indonesia, backed by two highly committed partners in Ooredoo Group and CK Hutchison. Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison is well placed to achieve exciting long-term growth under the leadership of Vikram and his experienced management team with a proven track record in Indonesia,” said Ooredoo Group managing director Aziz Aluthman Fakhroo.

“I have every confidence that this merger will be highly accretive for all stakeholders involved, including customers, shareholders, and for Indonesia,” said CK Hutchison Holdings group co-managing director Caning Fok. “Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison is now a stronger, world-class digital telecoms and internet company with critical mass, well-positioned to build an even more powerful network that can benefit Indonesia’s development and customers, who will receive improved services and an even broader product offering that would not have otherwise been possible.”