Wal-Mart India appoints Murali Lanka operations chief

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc's India unit said it had appointed company veteran Murali Lanka to the newly created position of chief operations officer to lead store operations and business development in the world's second most populous country.

Lanka, who in his earlier five-year stint with Wal-Mart India helped set up its wholesale format in the country, is currently a developmental regional general manager in the United States.

The world's largest retailer has 20 wholesale outlets in India and plans to roll out 50 more over four to five years.

The appointment of Lanka, who will report to Wal-Mart India Chief Executive Krish Iyer, is effective Dec. 1, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Arvind Mediratta, who was the company's chief operating officer in India, was appointed as a senior vice president at its U.S. headquarters in August.

(Reporting by Aman Shah in Mumbai; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)