Anant Maheshwari is new President of Microsoft India 

New Delhi: Microsoft Inc on Monday announced Anant Maheshwari as President of Microsoft India. Maheshwari is Honeywell India President. He will join Microsoft India on September 1 and take over operations of the company on January 1, 2017, from Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik, who retires in March 2017.

Maheshwari will take care of Microsoft’s product, service, and support offerings in India. He will also continue to work towards the company’s transformation into the leading productivity and platform company for the mobile-first, cloud-first era.

Jean-Philippe Courtois, EVP and President of Microsoft Global Sales, Marketing & Operations said in a statement: “I am delighted to announce that Anant is joining Microsoft India. As we continue to transform as an organization and to support our customers’ digital transformation, Anant’s leadership will be pivotal to our continued growth. Our mission at Microsoft – which we all care deeply about – is to enable every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. I know that in India, Anant will help us to continue to deliver against this, in one of the most vibrant, diverse and exciting markets anywhere in the world.”

Anant Maheshwari

The ambition of a mobile-first, cloud-first world complements India’s growth themes of Smart Cities and Digital India. The global mission and the ambition of the company are fully aligned with India’s needs and priorities, and enable a wide range of creative growth opportunities. I am excited to join the company at this transformational point and support the growth objectives globally and in India.

Maheshwari commented on his new role: “Microsoft’s mission—empowering people and organizations across the planet to do more—is deeply energizing, especially at India’s current growth inflection point. The ambition of a mobile-first, cloud-first world complements India’s growth themes of Smart Cities and Digital India. The global mission and the ambition of the company are fully aligned with India’s needs and priorities, and enable a wide range of creative growth opportunities. I am excited to join the company at this transformational point and support the growth objectives globally and in India.”

Courtois further adds: “I would also like to acknowledge the contributions made by Bhaskar Pramanik, who has been an inspiring leader of Microsoft India over the past five years. He’s worked closely with our customers, employees, partners and government stakeholders, and has been a truly passionate supporter of Digital India initiatives. In the coming months before he retires, I know he will work side by side with Anant, to ensure we have a smooth transition of leadership and continue to drive our business forwards.”

Maheshwari led Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company, on the growth path across all its three strategic business groups-- aerospace, automation and control solutions (ACS), and performance materials and technologies (PMT).

I am privileged to have participated in the growth of the Indian IT industry over the last four decades – from the days of the mainframe computing to the mobile first cloud first world of today where computing is all pervasive. I have seen the Indian IT industry grow from a few million dollars to the $200 billion global behemoth that it is today. As I plan my transition out of Microsoft by March 2017, I am very happy and proud of the strong team we have built in Microsoft India.

Pramanik said: “I am privileged to have participated in the growth of the Indian IT industry over the last four decades – from the days of the mainframe computing to the mobile first cloud first world of today where computing is all pervasive. I have seen the Indian IT industry grow from a few million dollars to the $200 billion global behemoth that it is today. As I plan my transition out of Microsoft by March 2017, I am very happy and proud of the strong team we have built in Microsoft India. It is a team that truly embodies our mission of empowering every individual and organization to achieve more. I am excited that Anant will be taking over from me. He brings strong operational rigor, strategic competence, excellent leadership and a proven track record of bringing together diverse teams to drive big impact.”

An experienced global technology leader with a proven track record, Maheshwari has held various business leadership roles in Honeywell for over 12 years. His prior roles include managing director of listed Honeywell Automation India Ltd, where he led the transformation of the ACS business portfolio. He successfully tapped the Asia-Pacific region’s high growth potential, adapting its global distribution business model to Asian markets. He also successfully conceptualized and set up the security operations in India for Honeywell.

Prior to Honeywell, Maheshwari was with McKinsey & Co. for six years where he worked with clients across multiple industries including telecom, IT and e-commerce, private equity, engineering equipment, automotive, steel and pharmaceuticals.