IBM India Names Karan Bajwa as Managing Director

New Delhi: Technology giant IBM on Wednesday said it has appointed Karan Bajwa as managing director of its India operations.

Mr Bajwa succeeds Vanitha Narayanan, who has been elevated as chairman of IBM India. These appointments are effective immediately.

Mr Bajwa joined IBM last year as executive for strategy and transformation in the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, he was Microsoft India's managing director. He was associated with IBM's networking business and was based in Singapore in 2001-05.

"I see great opportunity ahead for IBM in this market. By constantly reinventing itself and investing in innovation, IBM today is in a sweet spot to help businesses and governments with their digital transformation journey," Mr Bajwa said.

"I look forward to partnering with the industry, our ecosystem and the IBM team to further strengthen our business in the region."

Mr Bajwa will be responsible for all strategic and operational matters related to IBM's sales, marketing, services and delivery operations in the India/South Asia region, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

He will lead the team "to win new business, shape market opportunities by building alliances and partnerships and solidify the company's position in the marketplace", IBM said in a statement.

He will also lead IBM's partnership with clients for cloud- and cognitive-led digital transformation of its businesses.

As chairman, Ms Narayanan is expected to play a critical role in pushing capabilities across IBM's global missions in India, global centres of excellence, research and innovation labs.

IBM will "rely on her leadership to engage and further strengthen government and regulatory affairs initiatives".

According to Ms Narayanan, her new assignment reiterates the importance IBM places on India to support growth and innovation in the region.

Both Mr Bajwa and Ms Narayanan will report to Randy Walker, chairman, IBM Asia-Pacific.