Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla has taken over as the non-executive chairman of Vodafone Idea with effect from May 5, the telco said in a disclosure to the exchanges.

The appointment follows Ravinder Takkar’s decision to step down as chairman, which was accepted by the company’s board. Takkar, a non-executive director, will continue to be on the board in a revised role as non-executive vice chairman. Takkar, formerly the chief executive of the telco, had moved to the role of chairman in August 2022.

The changes were approved by the board on Tuesday under Regulation 30 of the Sebi Listing Regulations, with both appointments effective immediately.

Vodafone Idea is a joint venture between ABG and UK’s Vodafone Group. It was formed with the merger of the Vodafone India brand under Vodafone Plc and Idea Cellular under ABG in 2018.

Since then, the telco has been navigating operational and financial challenges, including sustained subscriber churn, market share loss on revenue and subscriber metrics, high debt levels and the need for sustained capital infusion.

Late last week, the government reduced Vodafone Idea’s adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues by roughly 27%, lowering them from Rs 87,695 crore to Rs 64,046 crore, effective as of December 31, 2025.