LG's Manikandan to join Videocon JV?

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Will the declining sales figures of LG cost Manikandan, general manager, sales and marketing (IT products), his job?

The market is abuzz with rumours that Manikandan is moving out of the company. Some sources attribute this development to a new job, which he has landed, while another theory points at LG’s declining sales.

Some senior executives in the IT industry confirmed that Manikandan is moving out of LG, most likely to join Videocon’s new joint venture.

The buzz is that the notebook portfolio has already been taken from Manikandan and he now only looks after the sales and marketing of LG monitors and optical drives.

The DQ Week spoke to some channel partners of LG to find out if they had any clue about this development. While most of them had not heard about it they opined that it could be true as LG’s business is slow in the market at the moment.

Though unaware of Manikandan moving out, a Delhi-based LG channel partner said that he would not be surprised if it is true.

A regional distributor for LG based in Nehru Place also declined any knowledge of such information.

V Ramachandran, director, sales and marketing, LG Electronics India, is said to now be in charge of the company's laptop business.

When contacted Ramachandran said, "It is not correct that Manikandan is serving notice period in LG. He is very much a part of LG."

Manikandan too denied any such move, “It is not true that I am quitting LG. It is just a market rumor.”

However, some senior executives in IT industry have confirmed the authenticity of the information. The buzz is that Manikandan is likely to join Videocon’s new joint venture.