Sistema Shyam TeleServices Ltd (SSTL), which offers telecom services in India under the MTS brand, today expanded its management board to 13 members from nine previously.

The company appointed Mr Feliks Evtushenkov and Mr Alexey Buyanov as directors on the company’s board, SSTL said in a statement.

Additionally, the company also appointed former Tata Sky Managing Director and CEO, Mr Vikram Kaushik, and the Indian Society of Advertisers Chairman, Mr Bharat Patel, as Independent Directors on the SSTL board. With these appointments, the SSTL board’s strength is now 13 members, it said.

“The SSTL board, headed by Mr Ron Sommer, has a mix of Indian nationals and some of the most senior Sistema officials, including Mr Mikhail Shamolin, President and CEO, Sistema JSFC,” the company said.

Mr Evtushenkov has been with Sistema for over a decade and has worked in numerous roles, including strategy and marketing, while Mr Buyanov is currently senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer on the management board of Sistema JSFC.

The company further stated that in compliance with Indian telecom licencing norms, the SSTL board now has seven Indian and six foreign nationals.

SSTL is a joint venture between Russia-based Sistema, the Russian Government and Shyam Group of India. Sistema is the majority shareholder in the joint venture company, which operates its telecom services under the MTS brand.

MTS has secured over 12 million wireless subscribers in India and provides mobile broadband services to more than 800,000 customers in over 150 cities across the country under the MBlaze brand.

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