NEW DELHI—Senjam Raj Sekhar has departed his role as global communications head at controversial mining company Vedanta.

Sekhar, who plans to take a sabbatical from the industry, leaves two years after taking on the comms leadership role.

An Indian-founded company that is now headquartered and listed in London, Vedanta's creation of the global comms role was seen as an attempt to improve its reputation, after continually courting controversy for its human rights, environmental and safety record.

While Vedanta's global reputation has improved over the past two years, problems persist. The company's sustainability record was attacked by Aviva Investor at its recent AGM, and blamed for a share price that has underperfomed mining peers by 29 percent since 2010.

Vedanta's high-profile 2012 'Creating Happiness' campaign in India, which aimed to improve relationships with rural communities affected by its mining operations, also publicly backfired. 

It is understood that Vedanta is currently seeking a replacement for Sekhar, who joined Vedanta in 2011 from Bharti Enteprises.

“After working virtually non stop for 18 years, I have decided to take a sabbatical to travel and tick off items from my bucket list that includes writing a blog, learning a new language and indulging in slow travel across four continents,” Sekhar told the Holmes Report.