Fast-growing Chinese device maker Xiaomi has appointed a former Google executive to a senior position to support its Indian market push, shortly after launching its first devices into the market.

Jai Mani has been appointed as lead product manager for Xiaomi in the country. He was a “strategy and analytics associate” for Google Play as well as working at the search giant’s DoubleClick ad technology arm, before leaving to co-found a start-up.

The news was announced by Hugo Barra, Xiaomi’s VP for International, who also joined the ambitious smartphone start-up from Google, where he was VP of Android product management.

Xiaomi launched its first products in India in July 2014, working in partnership with online retailer Flipkart.

In addition to product availability, it is also building out a support network – Barra previously said that the company’s moves into new markets are accompanied by “creating a pretty significant operational footprint in that market”.