Sarin mulling top job at Yahoo?

Ex-Vodafone frontman Arun Sarin is being positioned to take the helm of struggling web giant Yahoo, according to widespread rumours across the telecoms industry.

Sarin stepped down from his post earlier this year after five years at the helm, to be succeeded by then deputy chief executive Vittorio Colao.

Having survived a boardroom fracas and shareholder dissent in 2006, the Indian born American turned his fortune around in 2007 with his strategy of moving Vodafone into India to offset the slowing growth in its mature businesses.

The 53 year old head honcho, who has been listed as the most powerful person in British telecoms and technology, said at the time he intended to take a sabbatical.

But the hiatus may well be over, with speculation rife that Sarin is set to take over from Yahoo co founder and ex-boss Jerry Yang. The web giant is floating rudderless following the departure of Yang last month. The company has had a tough time of it lately – failing to secure a takeover by Microsoft, and then the collapse of its advertising partnership with Google.

But the company’s predicament is fuelling all sorts of speculation, with one industry watcher positing that Yahoo’s low valuation plus its brand and considerable consumer support, suggests that a different suitor should step forward: Nokia.