Arun Sarin served as CEO of Vodafone for 5 years from 2003 to 2008. During his tenure, he shifted Vodafone's strategic focus to emerging markets like India, Turkey, Czech Republic, and Romania. A key achievement was Vodafone's acquisition of a 65% stake in Hutchison Essar in India, considered one of the largest foreign direct investments in the country at the time. Though initially facing criticism, Sarin's leadership helped turn Vodafone around and led to record profits by the time he stepped down in 2008.