Sarin to leave Vodafone tomorrow; all set for Himalayas

Arun Sarin, a controversial albeit one of the most successful CEOs of British telecom giant Vodafone, will hang his boots tomorrow to don a new gear for trekking in Himalayas.     

Sarin, 53, quits Vodafone at the pinnacle of his career, accentuated by addition of India on the map of the UK telecom behemoth, amid speculation that he may get an offer from conglomerates like Tatas or a host of MNCs across the globe.     

After heading the world's largest mobile firm for five years, a tenure that saw him grappling with demands for his resignation to the high points like takeover of Indian mobile player Hutch, India-born Sarin immediately plans trek to Himalayas before settling down in California.     

Days before the scheduled voluntary retirement, Sarin, who often figured in global lists of most powerful business leaders, visited India along with his successor to participate in Vodafone-Essar board meeting, triggering speculation that he may join Tatas, but officials of the Indian conglomerate debunked any such report.      

The British daily Financial Times said in a report today that "Sarin wants a new challenge, perhaps a mixture of business, philanthropy or a stint in public service - should a call come through from Downing Street or the White House".      

Speculations have been rife about Sarin's next move right from the day Vodafone announced his departure two months ago -- spanning from possibilities of starting a PE firm, a public service role and taking up non-executive roles on boards of some large MNCs to heading some diversified business conglomerate in the US, UK or even India.