Titan Industries, the country's leading watch and jewellery major, today announced a change of guard at Tanishq, the jewellery division of the company.

Harish Bhat, has been appointed chief operating officer of Tanishq. He takes over from Jacob Kurian, who had, earlier this month, announced his decision to pursue other opportunities outside the company. Mr Bhat was previously Tanishq's vice president (sales and marketing).

The jewellery division's dramatic turnaround and transformation into a rapidly growing, viable long-term business has been one of the high points of the past three years, for the company. Jacob Kurian, who has been the main architect of this turnaround, welcomed the transition, and said Harish has successfully led the sales, marketing and retailing efforts of Tanishq over the past two years, and has been a key member of the senior management team. He brings strong strategic, operational and leadership skills which will stand Tanishq in good stead over the next phase of its growth voyage.

Harish Bhat brings with him an impeccable track record of over sixteen years in the Tata group. A member of the Tata Administrative Service (TAS), he moved to Tanishq two years ago, and has delivered strong growth of the jewellery business in a challenging marketplace. His previous experience in Tata Tea spanned the areas of FMCG marketing, sales and distribution, and strategic planning. He was also a member of the core team which led Tata Tea's global acquisition of Tetley. Harish holds a bachelors degree in engineering from BITS, Pilani and an MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad.