COAI names Reliance Jio's Pramod Mittal as Chairperson for 2022-23

Industry body COAI on Tuesday named Pramod K Mittal, President of Reliance Jio Infocomm, as the new Chairperson of the association for 2022-23.

Mittal was previously the Vice Chairperson of the Cellular Operators' Association of India (COAI), whose members include Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea (VIL).

Mittal will replace Ajai Puri as the COAI Chairperson. Puri held the position for the two consecutive terms.

Announcing the leadership for the year 2022-23, the COAI said P Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer of Vodafone Idea (VIL), will be the Vice Chairperson of the association.

"...Pramod K Mittal, President, Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd. who was Vice Chairperson of the industry body will now hold the position of Chairperson while P Balaji, Chief Regulatory and Corporate Affairs Officer, Vodafone Idea Limited, will be the Vice Chairperson of the Association," the telecom body said in a statement.

Mittal comes with a rich experience of 42 years in telecommunications. Prior to joining India's leading telecom operator, the Reliance Jio Infocomm President has also served in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) for over 37 years.

Balaji, who is a member of the core leadership team of Vodafone Idea, leads the telco's Regulatory, Public Policy and Government Relations activities along with Industry advocacy, Corporate Communications, Reputation Management and CSR, the COAI statement said.

A veteran in the telecom sector, Balaji has the unique experience of holding leadership positions in multiple telecom verticals, with leading technology, devices companies and telecom operator.

Balaji is also the Chairman of Assocham National Digital Communications Council, and a Member of the National Council of apex industry chambers CII, Ficci, Assocham and All India Management Association.

Commenting on his new role as Chairperson of COAI, Mittal said: "I look forward to working closely with the members to strengthen the sector, especially for the launch of 5G to fulfil the vision of Honourable Prime Minister's Digital India initiative".