Internet major Google has appointed former joint secretary at NITI Aayog Archana Gulati as head of public policy in India.

A Google spokesperson confirmed the appointment. Messages sent to Gulati elicited no immediate reply.

Gulati was looking after digital communications policy matters at the government think tank and took voluntary retirement in April last year.

From June 2014 to June 2016, she served as a senior official at the CCI looking at mergers and acquisitions, according to her LinkedIn profile. Gulati’s appointment comes at a time when the government and the antitrust watchdog are increasingly shining the spotlight on practices adopted by big-tech companies that have so far operated in regulatory blindspots

She was an officer on special duty in the telecom secretary office from May 2017 to August 2019.

Gulati also headed the combinations division at Competition Commission of India and advised the commission on competition issues arising from mergers and acquisitions.

Gulati was joint administrator in the finance division at telecom ministry's Universal Services Obligation Fund of India between May 2007 to February 2012 where she looked after financial aspects of design and implementation of USOF schemes as well as subsidy disbursement.