IBM Appoints Karan Bajwa as MD, Vanitha Narayanan as Chairman

IBM has appointed Karan Bajwa as Managing Director of IBM India Pvt. Ltd, succeeding Vanitha Narayana who is appointed as Chairman of IBM India Pvt. Ltd.  These leadership announcements further demonstrate IBM’s commitment in the region.

Karan joined IBM in 2016 as Executive for Strategy and Transformation in the Asia Pacific region. Prior to this he was the Managing Director, Microsoft India where, besides leading the India business for the company, he also the led the Cloud Transition and the Ecosystem engagement.  Prior to that, he has served in various roles in Microsoft and Cisco.  Karan is not new to IBM, having worked for five years leading IBM’s networking business and based in Singapore from 2001 - 2005.

 “I am humbled and excited as I take on this role of Managing Director of IBM India.  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. I look forward to partnering with the industry, our ecosystem and the IBM team to further strengthen our business in the region,” says Karan Bajwa, Managing Director, IBM India Pvt. Ltd.

 As Managing Director of IBM India, Karan will be responsible for all strategic and operational matters related to IBM's sales, marketing, services and delivery operations in the India/SA 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.  He will lead IBM’s partnership with clients for a cloud and cognitive led digital transformation of their businesses.

 As Chairman, Vanitha will play a critical role in enabling capabilities across IBM’s global missions in India, global centers of excellence, research and innovation labs.  IBM will rely on her leadership to engage and further strengthen the Government and Regulatory affairs initiatives. She will maximize the value of the entire organization in the region by evangelizing IBM’s brand and solutions in the ecosystem.

 “IBM has been a key player in India’s technology journey and innovated with our clients in establishing many firsts.  I see tremendous opportunity for us to power India’s digital transformation with our cognitive cloud platforms and deep industry expertise. It is incredibly gratifying for me to take over as Chairman of IBM India, a newly created position that reiterates the importance that IBM places on India to support growth and innovation in the region,” says Vanitha Narayanan, Chairman, IBM India Pvt. Ltd.

Vanitha has over 29 years of experience working across IBM in several countries. She has been a part of the IBM India/South Asia business since 2009 and was appointed to the position of Managing Director in 2013.   In her tenure as the Managing Director, she has consistently led strong revenue growth and expanded India's footprint across new industries, making India one of the fastest growing markets for IBM. She comes with deep industry experience and has held various leadership roles in Sales & Distribution, Global Business Services (GBS) and the Telecom sector, across Asia-Pacific and Global markets.

Both, Karan and Vanitha will report to Randy Walker, Chairman, IBM Asia Pacific. These appointments are effective immediately.