In a top-level corporate movement, Cisco India and Saarc president Sameer Garde has announced to part ways from the company.
“He has had a tremendous impact on our business over the past four years. We thank him for his contributions to Cisco and wish him the very best in his future endeavours,” Cisco said in a statement.
Garde who is reported to have already put in his papers and is likely to leave the company in July. He has resigned after spending four years at the global networking solutions provider.
He took over as the president of Cisco India and SAARC operations in July 2017 from Dinesh Malkani. According to top sources, Garde plans to join the social sector.
At Cisco, Garde was responsible for sales, operations, growth initiatives and investments in strategic alliances. He strengthened Cisco's push into new emerging verticals like manufacturing, logistics, healthcare and small businesses that make up for a significant portion of its business.
Meanwhile, the company is likely to announce Garde's successor in the next few weeks. Under Garde's leadership, Cisco saw a strong growth in its India business, placing it among the highest growing markets for the company.
In 2019, Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins had said India is “one of the most consistent growth markets” for the company, and that it is on track to contribute 10% of its business in 5-10 years.
Garde also led Cisco's transition in India to subscription/recurring business that contributes to the majority of its software revenue. Under Garde, Cisco signed one of the biggest contracts from Jio, which helped in onboarding over 200 million subscribers in less than two years.
