Arun Sarin (born 21 October 1954) is an Indian-American telecommunications executive.
Sarin was the former CEO of the telecom giant Vodafone, serving from 2003 until 2008. He drove the integration of Vodafone, Airtouch and Mannesman. He was also the driving force behind the Vodafone's strategic move into emerging markets, especially Asia and Africa, through the purchases of Turkish operator Telsim and a controlling stake in Hutchison Essar in India. He was a senior advisor at the private equity firm KKR. He also serves on the board of directors of Ola Electric , Charles Schwab and Accenture.
Sarin received an honorary knighthood from the Queen at Buckingham Palace on 10 March 2010.
Early life and education
Sarin was born in Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, India, in 1954. He pursued his secondary education at the Bangalore Military School.
Career
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.
After Vodafone (2008 to present)
In October 2009, Sarin was appointed as a senior advisor at the private equity firm KKR. He has been a member of the advisory board of Accel KKR from 2010 until 2019. He is currently an investor and adviser to a number of early stage technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area and India.
Board
He serves on the board of directors of Ola Electric , Accenture and Charles Schwab. He also sits on the board of trustees for the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley.