BANGALORE, INDIA: Maneesh Dhir, ex-AVP of AOL, has been appointed by Apple India as sales head for the region.

The position was vacated in June 2009, when Alok Sharma put in his papers as Apple India’s managing director after a five-year stint with the company. He had played a role in restructuring of the company’s distribution business.

A Apple spokesperson from London confirmed that Maneesh Dhir is Apple's new country sales manager for India responsible for the day-to-day operations in the region. So far,  Tom Preising was Apple's acting country sales manager for India.

Dhir had left AOL as head of its international efforts (executive vice president international), earlier in 2009, claiming to start the next chapter in his career and return to his entrepreneurial roots.

As the EVP at AOL International, Dhir was responsible for operations in Asia, Europe, and the Americas. His duties included overseeing the growth of portals in these areas as well as reviewing new business opportunities arising in the international arena. Under his term, AOL expanded its reach with a web presence in 38 countries.

So, the challenge ahead for Dhir is to use his vast experience in online industry to drive growth in the product company.