Arun sarin biography of donald
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He is a senior adviser at the private equity firm KKR. He serves on the board of directors of Cisco Systems and Safeway, Inc. He received an honarary knighthood from the Queen at Buckingham Palace on March 10, 2010. He held a series of senior management positions with Pacific Telesis. He expanded the product line of the company to include data, internet and broadband services.
He prioritized divestitures of underperforming assets, such as the sale of Vodafone Japan to Softbank in March 2006 for approximately 1.75 trillion yen (about £10.4 billion at the time), which addressed persistent operational losses and market share erosion in a competitive landscape dominated by NTT DoCoMo and KDDI.[37] This disposal, along with exits from Sweden and a minority stake in Belgium, freed capital for reinvestment while signaling a retreat from low-growth mature markets.[38] Complementing these moves, Sarin pursued acquisitions in underserved regions, notably securing a 67% controlling stake in India's Hutchison Essar for $11.1 billion in February 2007, positioning Vodafone to capture rapid subscriber growth in the world's largest mobile market with low penetration rates.[39] Further entries included Ghana, Romania, Turkey, and parts of Africa, driving organic expansion where mobile adoption was accelerating.[3]These decisions yielded measurable growth, with Vodafone's customer base nearly doubling to 260.5 million by 2008, primarily through penetration in untapped markets rather than acquisitions in saturated ones.[21]Sarin also enhanced shareholder value by committing to substantial dividend hikes and share buybacks; for instance, in November 2003, shortly after assuming the role, he announced a $4.2 billion repurchase program alongside dividend increases, with the interim dividend doubled to 1.91 pence per share by November 2004.[40][41] Cumulative payouts rose steadily, reflecting improved cash flows from emerging market contributions, though tempered by writedowns on legacy assets.
Prior to this he did his schooling from Military School Bangalore, Bangalore. He began his career as a management consultant before joining the telecoms firm, Pacific Telesis Group in 1984. He was a key negotiator in the successful acquisition of AirTouch by Vodafone Group Plc. He is currently a non-executive director of Accenture, Cisco, Charles Schwab and Ola, India.
In 1978 he gained a MS in Engineering and an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
Early career and AirTouch (1984 - 1999)
He started his career as a management consultant before moving, in 1984, to Pacific Telesis Group in San Francisco. Now rebranded as Vodafone, Sarin wants to bring it from the #3 operator in India to #1 or #2.
He subsequently became chief executive of InfoSpace from 2000 to 2001, and of Accel-KKR Telecom based in San Francisco from 2001 to 2003, while serving as a non-executive director of Vodafone.
This always ends with Arun's favoured epithet "Go Vodafone!"
Sarin was appointed at a time when the investment community wanted Vodafone to concentrate on managing its businesses efficiently and returning cash to shareholders, after its dramatic takeover driven expansion between 1999 and 2002. He rejoined Vodafone as Chief Executive Designate on 1 April 2003 and was appointed on a permanent basis after the Company's annual general meeting on 30 July 2003.
He is a strategic advisor to the Indian-based music streaming service Saavn and owns a minority stake in the company.
He serves on the board of directors of Ola Cabs, Cisco Systems, Accenture and Charles Schwab. In 2010 he received an Honorary Knighthood from Queen Elizabeth at Buckingham Palace. He also has 14.5 million shares and share options which he has not yet cashed, according to the company's annual report and accounts.
After he steps down at the annual meeting, he will remain as a consultant on a "nominal" salary until his retirement next March.
Arun Sarin
Early Life and Education
Upbringing and Family Background
Arun Sarin was born on October 21, 1954, in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, India.[5][6] His father, Krishan Sarin, served as an officer in the Indian Army, which influenced the family's nomadic lifestyle tied to military postings.[5][7] His mother, Ramilla Sarin, managed the household during these frequent relocations.[5][7]The Sarin family originated from a background of relative affluence prior to India's independence in 1947, but experienced a significant decline in wealth following the partition and associated economic upheavals, which affected many such families.[5] This shift instilled a sense of resilience and adaptability in Sarin from an early age, as the family adjusted to more modest circumstances amid the post-colonial transitions.[5]Due to his father's military career, Sarin spent much of his childhood in boarding schools, including secondary education at the King’s School in Bangalore (now Bangalore Military School), where the disciplined environment emphasized academic rigor and extracurricular activities such as field hockey.[8][6] This upbringing in structured, military-influenced institutions fostered his early discipline and exposure to diverse peers from similar backgrounds, shaping his approach to challenges.[8]Academic Achievements
Arun Sarin earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in metallurgical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, in 1975.[9][10] At IIT, he received the B.C.Roy Gold Medal, awarded to the best all-round graduating student, recognizing excellence in academics, extracurriculars, and leadership.[11][12]Sarin subsequently attended the University of California, Berkeley, on a full scholarship, obtaining a Master of Science in engineering and a Master of Business Administration from the Haas School of Business in 1978.[3][13] These qualifications provided a technical and managerial foundation that underpinned his subsequent career in telecommunications and business strategy.[2]
Professional Career
Initial Roles in Telecommunications (1984-1999)
Arun Sarin began his telecommunications career in 1984 by joining Pacific Telesis Group in San Francisco, initially in corporate development roles.[4] He advanced through various management positions, including chief financial officer and chief strategy officer at Pacific Bell, a subsidiary focused on strengthening financial controls following major acquisitions.[5] By the late 1980s, Sarin had become the youngest corporate officer in the company's history at age 35, later serving as vice president and general manager of the San Francisco Bay Area cellular operations, where he contributed to the early expansion of mobile communications.[3][5]In 1994, following the spin-off of Pacific Telesis's wireless assets, Sarin transitioned to AirTouch Communications, Inc., starting as vice president of human resources before quickly moving to senior vice president of corporate strategy and development, overseeing acquisitions and international alliances.[1] From April 1994 to February 1997, he served as president and chief executive officer of AirTouch International, expanding the company's cellular and paging operations into over a dozen countries.[5][14]Sarin was appointed president and chief operating officer of AirTouch in February 1997, a role he held until June 1999, managing domestic and international wireless businesses amid rapid industry growth.[1][15] During this period, he also joined the AirTouch board in July 1995 and focused on strategic positioning for global competition.[15] The 1999 merger of AirTouch with Vodafone marked the end of his direct AirTouch leadership, after which he assumed executive responsibilities in the combined entity's U.S.and Asia-Pacific region.[1]
Transition to Vodafone and Pre-CEO Roles (1999-2003)
In 1999, Arun Sarin transitioned to Vodafone through the merger of AirTouch Communications with Vodafone Group, a $66.5 billion deal that created one of the world's largest mobile operators. He has served on numerous other Boards including The Gap, Safeway and the Court of the Bank of England.In 2004 he entered an auction for AT&T Wireless in the face of considerable hostility from analysts and shareholders, but withdrew when Cingular made an offer he did not think was in Vodafone's interests to match.
He has since focused on emerging markets such as India, Turkey,and Romania instead of developed markets such as Japan and others.
Assuming the company continues to perform over that period, when he leaves, his shares and options will be worth just over 22 million.
During his final year as chief executive, Sarin picked up 3,595,000 pounds in salary and bonus, taking his total earnings to more than 25 million according to a report by The Guardian newspaper.
The report said that in the past, Sarin had been allowed to re-invest his annual bonus, which was 2.13 million for the year to the end of March 2008, but because he is leaving the company he will collect it in cash.
Colao will be paid a 975,000 pounds salary, compared with the 1.3 million pounds Sarin received for the year to the end of March 2008, according to the group's annual report and accounts published.[3]
Recent Reports suggest that Arun Sarin has been appointed as senior advisor to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
("KKR").[4]
Now, he sits on the Board of Trustees for the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley.[5] The Center is focused on finding solutions to address the crisis of extreme poverty and disease in the developing world.[6]
References
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Sarin, Arun |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | October 21, 1954 |
| Place of birth | Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, India |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
- 1954 births
- Living people
- Indian emigrants to the United States
- People from Madhya Pradesh
- American businesspeople
- American people of Indian descent
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- Vodafone people
- Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur alumni