Xiaomi has recruited former Google executive Jai Mani to be in charge of products, Hugo Barra, Xiaomi's Vice President of International Operations, said in his Facebook and Google+ posts.
"Android fans: you'll remember Jai from his memorable on-stage demo performances at Google I/O and Nexus launches," Barra, himself an ex-Google employee, wrote. Mani has moved to Bangalore from San Francisco, he said.
Barra said that Mani joined the Mi India team as the company's lead product manager. "Jai has relocated all the way from SF to Bangalore and hit the ground running on his first day co-hosting a Mi fan meet-up with his partner in crime Rohit Ghalsasi," added Barra.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mani had been a Google Play Strategy and Analytics associate before he co-founded a startup.
Xiaomi, which sells its phones exclusively through e-commerce website Flipkart.com in India, is looking to find a foothold in a market that has at least 80 different phone companies fighting it out for market share.
Barra told Reuters in July that the company is looking to invest heavily in India, including building a team that can cater to localisation needs.
Notably, 1,00,000 units of Xiaomi's Redmi 1S will go on sale in India on Tuesday, in the company's sixth flash sale for the budget smartphone.
Written with inputs from Reuters
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