Microsoft appoints new Managing Director for India

NEW DELHI, INDIA: 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 Masters 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.”