Sanjay Kaul is Apple's new country head

Global tech giant Apple has named Sanjay Kaul as country manager for India in place of long-time executive Manish Dhir, who quit the company in January this year.

The elevation of Kaul, currently country sales director, to the position of country manager comes at a time when India has become a market of great importance to Apple. In the January-March 2016 period, the company reported a 56 per cent growth in iPhone sales, while global sales of the flagship device dropped 16 per cent.

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While Apple confirmed the elevation of Kaul, it declined to comment.

"India is where China was seven to 10 years ago. From that point of view, I think there's a great opportunity there," Apple's chief operating officer Tim Cook had said in a call with investors last week.

Kaul's appointment also comes at a time when Apple is planning to open brand-owned stores in India. The company's plans to serve the low- to mid-range smartphone market in India with refurbished devices have, however, hit a roadblock after the government did not give its approval.

While India is the only bright spot in terms of growth for Apple, experts say the country doesn't push enough volumes to offset declining sales globally. In the long-term, India is the last large global market for Apple, as it is for other brands in the space.