Mumbai: US-based communications and outsourcing firm Aricent has appointed Sudip Nandy, a former senior executive with Wipro Ltd, as its chief executive and board member.

Nandi, who headed Wipro's profitable technology, media and telecom business, which had annual revenues of $1.3 billion, will succeed Ash Bhardwaj, who quit Aricent to pursue other interests.

As president of the technology media and telecom business at Wipro, Nandy oversaw more than 18,000 employees.

''Aricent's recent business performance is a clear indication that the company's unique combination of global innovation, technology and outsourcing is highly aligned with the needs of equipment manufacturers and service providers worldwide,'' said James H Greene of KKR, the owners of Aricent.

''We needed a proven global leader to ensure we maximize the tremendous market opportunity in front of Aricent. Sudip's rich track record and deep domain expertise in the communications and outsourcing industry make him a perfect fit, and we are excited to have him join the Aricent team,'' he added.

At Wipro, Nandy also headed the telecom and product engineering solutions business and was chief strategy officer responsible for Wipro Technologies global expansion, including mergers and acquisitions.

Nandi also successfully managed nine M&As and two joint ventures, before returning to India in mid-2004.

Nandi, who joined Wipro at Silicon Valley during the 90s, first headed its R&D services and technology business, and subsequently became vice president of a product development and marketing start-up acquired by Wipro.

A physics graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, Nandy also  holds a degree in electrical technology and electronics from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. He also holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad.

''There is a fundamental shift happening in the communications industry as equipment manufacturers and service providers look for more innovation and deeper domain expertise from their strategic suppliers,'' said Sudip Nandy.

''Aricent is very well positioned for this transition, and to capitalise on a market worth tens of billions of dollars. I'm thrilled to join this team at this time and look forward to adding to the company's success,'' he added.

Besides Kravis Roberts & Co, Aricent's investors include Sequoia Capital, Flextronics International Ltd and The Family Office.

Aricent claims to have more than 550 clients worldwide, including Airtel, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco Systems, Ericsson, Inmarsat, Juniper, Motorola, NEC, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Texas Instruments, Virgin Mobile and Vodafone.