NEW DELHI--Highly-rated Microsoft India comms head Meenu Handa has left the company to join Amazon India.

Handa exits Microsoft after almost eight years with the technology company, during which she oversaw internal and external communications strategy and analyst relations.

She joins Amazon India as director of corporate communications, a newly-created role that reports into Amazon's Seattle-based corporate PR leadership.

Handa's arrival follows Amazon's launch in India last year, via the rollout of the Junglee marketplace. Under existing laws, Amazon cannot sell products directly to Indian internet users, and is currently lobbying for regulatory change.

Prior to joining Microsoft in 2005, Handa spent 15 years at IPAN.