July 29 (Reuters) - Vodafone Group Plc named VivekBadrinath, deputy chief executive of French hospitality groupAccorHotels, as the head of its business in Africa,Middle East and Asia-Pacific (AMAP).
Badrinath will take on the role from October 15, whencurrent head Serpil Timuray becomes chief of commercialoperations and strategy officer for Vodafone, the world'ssecond-largest mobile operator said in a statement.
Vodafone reported stronger than expected first-quarter salesgrowth last Friday despite a drag from European Union roamingcharge cuts and a weak home market.
"Vivek has extensive telecoms and technology leadershipexperience coupled with a strong track record in emergingmarkets," Vodafone Group Chief Executive Vittorio Colao said.
In his role as deputy CEO for AccorHotels, Badrinath wasresponsible for marketing, digital solutions, distribution andinformation systems. (Reporting by Esha Vaish in Bengaluru; Editing by Adrian Croft)