With the aim to pursue other opportunities, mostly those related to shoring up entrepreneur ventures, Sharad Sharma, CEO of the India research and development unit of Yahoo Inc, put up his resignation papers on February 27, and said would leave the company by April.

Yahoo, the company which lost its R&D chief Prasad Ram to bigger internet rival Google Inc in 2006, confirmed the news of Sharma's resignation to the media, with a company spokesperson saying: "Sharad Sharma, Yahoo! India R&D has decided to leave Yahoo! to pursue other opportunities."

The post vacated by Sharma will be taken by a Yahoo veteran for over a decade - Shouvick Mukherjee.

In its statement, the company said that Shouvick Mukherjee has been named the new head of the R&D unit; and he will henceforth spearhead the center's tactical involvement in delivering persuasive global products and consumer experiences, touching Internet users around the globe.