Top directors, over 15 employees leave Realme to join India’s HonorTech, ET Telecom

NEW DELHI: At least two top directors and several other employees have quit the Realme smartphone brand to join the country’s newest venture, HonorTech, as the Indian smartphone industry goes through a crisis.

According to distributor sources, Deepesh Punamia, who was director of offline sales at Realme, has joined HonorTech as assistant vice president (AVP) and Sanjeev Kumar, director of online sales at Realme, has also taken a senior position to Sheth.

Sources told IANS on Monday that more than 15 Realme employees from various departments have moved to HonorTech under Sheth, who is set to revive the Honor brand in the country.

The new company is going to create another disruption in the Indian smartphone market and is likely to launch a new device in late August-early September before the festive season.

Sheth has served in multiple roles at Realme including CEO, VP, Realme, Realme and President of Realme International Business Group.

Chinese company Huawei sold its Honor smartphone business assets to China-based Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology Co Ltd in 2020. In 2022, Honor said it has no plans to exit the Indian market. The company expanded beyond smartphones and launched a wearables portfolio to enter the laptop segment in the country.

Along with service centers, the company still has a significant presence in the country.