In one of the first major resignations of 2020, IBM India and South Asia’s (ISA) managing director Karan Bajwa has stepped down and he is being replaced by Sandip Patel, who has been in Boston as IBM’s global general manager for the insurance industry. Confirming the development, IT giant said, Bajwa ‘will pursue opportunities outside of IBM.’
In his second stint with the company, Bajwa led the ISA business during a period of ‘great change’ in the marketplace, stated IBM, adding that he was responsible for growing mid-market business from cloud.
The Amerinca firm said that Patel will be responsible for all strategic and operational matters related to compamy’s sales, marketing, services and delivery operations in the region, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
“Additionally, he will play a critical role in enabling India’s capabilities across IBM’s global missions, global centers of excellence, research and innovation labs,” said IBM.
Before this appointment, Patel was responsible for IBM’s business across all brands in insurance industry market segment.
“His extensive expertise in key industries, including financial services, insurance and healthcare, coupled with his global leadership experience will bring great value to IBM’s clients and business in the region,” said a statement from IBM.
“IBM has been a key player in India’s technology journey and continues to provide the innovation necessary to power India’s digital transformation across key industries and Government. Sandip’s deep industry expertise and global understanding of clients across different markets will bring real value to our clients as they embark on their transformation journey,” said Harriet Green, chairman & CEO, IBM Asia Pacific.
Patel was previously the president of Aetna international where he had full P&L responsibility for their international business. He has served as partner in various leadership roles at IBM, PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Coopers & Lybrand, and early in his career was a practicing Chartered Accountant in India.
