OPPO appoints Tasleem Arif to head India R&D unit

Chinese handset major OPPO Monday said it has appointed former Samsung India executive Tasleem Arif to head its research and development centre that will be opened in Hyderabad in the next few weeks.

While the company did not disclose the investment being made for the R&D unit, it said the Hyderabad centre would be OPPO's seventh such facility globally.

OPPO has 4 R&D centres across China in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Dongguan, one each at Yokohama (Japan) and Silicon Valley (the US).

The Hyderabad centre -- the company's first R&D facility in India -- will work towards gaining deeper insights about Indian consumers and market, and thereby help in building India-centric innovations and customised product offerings, OPPO said in a statement.

Arif, as the Vice President and Head R&D of OPPO India, will lead the team in its focus on software localisation for Indian consumers as well as device quality, it added.

He has about 15 years of experience in mobile software, design and development and was previously associated with Samsung in India.

"We are focused towards offering unique experiences to our consumers in India through our innovations and technological capabilities. The opening of our first R&D Centre in Hyderabad is a step in that direction and strengthens our commitment to the Indian consumers," OPPO India President Charles Wong said.

He added that with Arif's expertise, OPPO will be able to build a strong R&D team and make the centre the second largest, after China.