NEW DELHI: Sanju Saha, executive vice president, human resources at Star News, has put in his papers and is slated to join Pepsi in a much higher capacity.

Industry sources said that Saha, just 37, is joining as executive vice president, human resources of the Rs 70 billion Pepsi India group, a high profile job that functionally is director, HR.

Reluctant to comment on the development, Saha did tell indiantelevision.com: "I can say that I am as of date EVP HR, Star News, but I am leaving the group, that is confirmed."

Sources who know him say that Saha was looking for a higher profile, which Pepsi has now offered him. And though no one is putting a date to either his finally leaving Star or joining the F&B global major, sources said he is joining Pepsi in the first week of February.

Saha had been working with Star News for the past two years and was responsible for streamlining the HR department and making it market oriented, getting the right people and generally "ruddering the ship in an industry that has seen so much turmoil", a Star insider says.

Saha has previously worked with Aaj Tak, thus having worked in senior capacities in both the top Hindi news channels of the country.

"I come from a banking background, having worked with American Express before joining the media, Aaj Tak," Saha said.

Before AmEx, he had worked with Britannia and Vazir Sultan, the Hyderabad based tobacco manufacturer.