Smartphone maker OnePlus on Wednesday announced the promotion of its Vice President, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Sales in India, Navnit Nakra, as its India CEO and Head of the OnePlus India region.

As part of this new senior leadership role, Nakra will spearhead the company's business operations and overall strategy for the India region.

"India continues to be an important market for OnePlus, and we continue to focus on our India community's needs as we work towards building a newer, more innovative ecosystem of products and services. Therefore, I am confident that Navnit will play a pivotal role in leading the future business operations effectively in the region," Pete Lau, Founder of OnePlus and Chief Product Officer of OPPO, said in a statement.

Nakra's journey with OnePlus India began in February 2020 as the Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, wherein he drove the corporate strategy plans as well as key strategic partnerships. He went on to also oversee the sales operations of the company in the region.

"With the next phase of growth, I am excited for the opportunity to further drive the growth of OnePlus, as we continue to deliver the best of our flagship technology and build our affordable premium ecosystem portfolio to bring cutting-edge products to our community in India," Nakra added.

Since last year, OnePlus has been actively investing in its India workforce with recent appointments and hiring of several senior leaders across marketing, strategy, government relations and human resources, as well as offline and online sales divisions.

During the first half of 2021, OnePlus generated 40 per cent more jobs locally, both direct and indirect in nature - including jobs in the retail and service sector. The company also onboarded several young graduates through active campus placement efforts across colleges including the IITs, IIMs, and NITs, to foster and groom young talent in India, the company claims.