After the previous country manager Mohit Anand packed his bags and left for Channel [V] in March, the Entertainment & Devices Division for Microsoft India had been left leaderless, even as rumors began circulating that the Redmond giant’s Indian arm was shutting down operations across “several Tier 2 cities”. Finally, to end all speculation about who would be heading the E&D division, Microsoft has announced that Mr. Jaspreet Bindra, currently leading the Online Services Group (OSG) will be heading the E&D division come September this year.

According to the press release, Mr. Bindra will now be responsible for the Xbox 360 and Games for Windows businesses in addition to overseeing operations across the Entertainment (music, TV and video), the Consumer Productivity Experiences (keyboards and mice) and the Mobile and Embedded Business lines. Frankly, we’re happy we now have a new brand person to hound at the Microsoft offices and hopefully, he won’t hog the Mongoose as much as Mohit did in Halo 3. Or maybe he’s more of a Gearhead. Uno, perhaps! Either which way, I hope he’ll finally manage to bring some debug units into the country. It’s been way too harsh without ‘em!

Press Release [Pic]

Microsoft appoints new Managing Director for India
New head for E&D division as well
August 08, 2008

New Delhi: Microsoft India Pvt Ltd today announced the appointment of Rajan Anandan as the Managing Director of its Sales Marketing and Services business in India; and Jaspreet Bindra as the head of the Entertainment and Devices (E+D) Division, India.

Rajan Anandan, who will report in to Ravi Venkatesan, Chairman Microsoft India, was till recently VP and Country GM for Dell India. He comes to Microsoft with an extremely successful track record of over 16 years with Dell and McKinsey.

Making the announcement, Venkatesan said, “I believe that Rajan is one of the most talented executives in the India IT industry today. He has the right mix of strategy and execution which is essential for our continued growth and also brings a very energizing combination of passion, belief in people, and most importantly, an appetite for big challenges. I am confident that Rajan will help lead Microsoft India to new heights of excellence.”

Microsoft set up operations in India in 1995 and has since grown into the second largest employee base for Microsoft outside of Redmond. With over 5000 employees across three campuses and 13 offices, Microsoft India is currently the only area outside of the US to have the full representation of the Microsoft product lifecycle through six business units ranging from research to support. India is among the fastest growing areas for Microsoft and has emerged as a key hub for its emerging markets strategy both form a talent and market perspective.

Anandan, who joins Microsoft on September 01, 2008, will have the key responsibility of driving strategic partnerships and alliances and growing the sales and marketing operations for Microsoft India.

Speaking on the occasion, Anandan said “Microsoft as a company has shaped the evolution of the global computing industry over the past 30 years and is poised to play a leading role in every major new technology arena over the coming decade. I am thrilled to be joining the Microsoft India team at such an exciting time.”

Under his leadership, Dell India grew from $250 million to over $800 million in revenues. Before leading the India subsidiary for Dell, Anandan held various global leadership roles across Dell International Services including a stint as the Executive Assistant to Michael Dell, Chairman, Dell Computers. A mechanical engineer and an alumnus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Anandan also holds a Master’s degree in Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Stanford University.

Microsoft also announced the appointment of Jaspreet Bindra, as the head of its Entertainment and Devices (E&D) Division. Bindra, who has been with Microsoft India since 2005, will transition from his current role of Country Manager, Online Services group (OSG). Bindra will now be responsible for the Microsoft E&D products, services and solutions – including the popular XBox – in the country. Microsoft’s E&D division comprises of the Interactive Entertainment Business (Xbox and Games for Windows businesses); the Entertainment Business (Microsoft’s digital entertainment efforts in music, TV and video); the Consumer Productivity Experiences Business (the mice and keyboards business), and the Mobile and Embedded Business. The flagship product in India has of course been Xbox 360, the ultimate in next generation console gaming and entertainment systems with a portfolio of more than 80 games.

Bindra has had a very successful stint at OSG. Over the last couple of years revenues have doubled, search queries have quadrupled and MSN has emerged as the second most popular portal in the country.

Bindra, who will transition into his role in September, said, “I believe this to be a very exciting time to move into E&D. Gaming is on a exponential growth track and the retail environment continues to develop rapidly. Both are areas which are increasingly important for the success of Microsoft.”

Venkatesan, remarking on the transition said, “Jaspreet has been a great asset for us and I look forward to him drawing upon his innate passion for technology, consumer insight and retail to lead E & D in its next phase of growth.”

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (NASDAQ “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software - any time, any place and on any device. Microsoft Corporation India Private Ltd is a subsidiary of Microsoft Corporation USA. It has had a presence in India since 1990 and currently has offices in 13 cities - Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, New Delhi, Pune and Coimbatore.

For more information, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/india/msindia/

~ ~ ~

Media Contacts:

Sabah Hamid
Microsoft
sabah@microsoft.com / 0124 – 4158000

Piyal Banerjee
Genesis B-M
piyal.banerjee@bm.com / 09811335306

Powered by Gregarious (42)

TRANSLATE

Translate this post into your favorite language. Click on any of the flags below to view the translated version. NOTE: Translations use the AltaVista Babel Fish Translation Service and may not be 100% accurate.

By N2H

You may be the one to comment first. Please leave your message below.