Microsoft India's head of mobile division Ajey Mehta, along with 60-70 sales and marketing staff, will move to HMD Global, the newly-created company through which Nokia-branded phones will make a reentry into global markets, including India.

People aware of the changes said Mehta and the staff at the software maker will move to HMD in India after Microsoft's deal to sell its feature phone business to Foxconn and HMD closes in the second half of this year.

The team led by Mehta will be responsible for taking the Nokia brand forward in India, starting with feature phones and following up with smartphones on Android, the people added.

The deal, however, leaves out Nokia's phone manufacturing plant in Chennai, which had been frozen by tax authorities in the country due to an ongoing Rs 20,000-crore tax dispute.

"We expect the announced transactions to close in H2 2016. Further announcements about specific operations, personnel and activities in each geography will follow in due course," a spokesperson from HMD told ET exclusively over email.

Microsoft and HMD did not comment on senior executives from the former moving to the latter. Mehta didn't respond to calls and messages seeking confirmation as of press time Sunday.

HMD will begin operations selling the existing range of Nokia feature phones and it will also start developing a new smartphone portfolio. A timeline was not shared.
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