Kohlberg Kravis Roberts has welcomed back the former chief executive of telecommunications giant Vodafone to its high-profile roster of senior advisers, as the US buyout firm adds more weight to its hefty telecoms portfolio.

KKR has appointed Arun Sarin, who worked as Vodafone's chief executive for five years from 2003, to an advisory board that already includes the chairman of Australian carrier Qantas Airways and the former US ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ford Fraker.