New Delhi, Oct 4 (IANS): Google has appointed former Samsung and Apple executive Sreenivasa Reddy as its public policy head in India at a time when the tech giant faces increasing anti-trust challenges and an array of tech regulations.

The appointment came a year after Archana Gulati, the previous public policy head, resigned after just five months.

Reddy shared the news of his appointment on LinkedIn on Wednesday, saying that "he long admired Google's commitment to innovation and its mission to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful".

"With its young and growing population, and its rapid adoption of new technologies, India has huge potential to become a global leader in the digital economy. However, there are also challenges to be addressed, be it an equitable digital transformation or protecting the privacy and security of our users or leveraging the talent in the market to have India be at the forefront of tech innovation," he wrote.

According to Reddy, Google has a unique opportunity to play a role in addressing these challenges and helping India achieve its full digital potential.

Reddy spent two years as Microsoft's head of XR (extended reality) regulatory affairs for the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region before joining Google.

He was also the company's senior director of mixed reality engineering (device and technology).

He spent nearly three and a half years as Apple's head of regulatory affairs in India before moving on to lead Ericsson's government and industry relations in the country for five years.