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Batchelor will take up the post of UK marketing director in mid-August, reporting to chief operating officer Gavin Darby.

Batchelor, who is British, will sit on the UK board and will lead the business's strategy in the four key areas of product management, brand and channel marketing, handset purchasing and logistics, and corporate marketing.

A fundamental challenge will be to exploit Vodafone's existing customer base by driving non-voice revenues and to communicate the benefits of the new 3G handsets. The company has 13.2m UK subscribers, but fell into second place behind Orange at the beginning of the year.

Before joining Amazon.com, where he helped drive the online retailer into profit, Batchelor held a number of senior marketing positions in the UK and US during 10 years at Procter & Gamble.

His appointment ends a lengthy search triggered by the departure of UK marketing chief Paul Donovan last September. Donovan, who held the title of managing director commercial, left to become chief executive at the firm's Irish subsidiary Eircell.

Batchelor will liaise with Vodafone's global creative agency Wieden & Kennedy, and J Walter Thompson, which will be responsible for implementing and adapting advertising for the UK from September. The company appointed JWT as its second global network, ousting local incumbent agencies including WCRS in the UK.

The firm recently hired former P&G marketer Martin Tod as head of brand and marketing communications.

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