A Go-Getter To The Core

He has to assure customers and partners that Lenovo is
deeply committed to them. He believes his knack of paying attention to details
and coming up with creative solutions will make this task relatively easy.

Aperson who has lived in various countries, Neeraj spent his early childhood
and initial part of schooling in the picturesque Shimla. Undoubtedly, he is
passionate about this city today as well and did his initial schooling from its
St Edwards School.

The later part was completed from New Delhi's DPS (RK Puram) school.
"School days spent in Simla were not just about academics. It also focused
on all-round development and that was something I cherished. We were encouraged
to develop a strong affinity to stimuli outside academics too," recalls
Neeraj.

Neeraj Sharma MD, South Asia,  Lenovo India “Engineering as a discipline demanded us to align our minds technically. It instilled a sense of discipline, made one focus on work and education while enhancing analytical skills”

Once out of school, he opted to take up Engineering for his graduation.
Neeraj reminisces that, "Engineering as a discipline demanded us to align
our minds technically. It instilled a sense of discipline, made one focus on
work and education and enhanced analytical skills," added he, who completed
his Engineering at Anna University in Electronics & Communication.

Moving up the corporate ladder

Neeraj's first job was with PCL as a Group Product Manager after he
graduated as an engineer in 1990. He worked there for six years and then joined
IBM India as Product Manager for Aptive.

He moved to Singapore as Regional Brand manager IBM ASEAN and South Asia in
late 1999 and was promoted as Country Manager, PC Division of IBM India in 2003.
Post the IBM-Lenovo merger, Neeraj is now the Managing Director-South Asia,
Lenovo, and operates from Bangalore.

His strength lies in his ability to stay focused on the task at hand, yet at
the same time multitask effectively. He also believes in communication being a
key trait that needs to be developed in every individual and has worked at
making that a strong asset. Neeraj's attention to detail and the ability to
envision creative solutions out of seemingly impossible situations are also a
few strengths, which he has developed over the years.

One of Neeraj's greatest joys was making the ThinkPad notebook brand one of
the strongest and most successful IBM brands ever, in India. Eight straight
quarters saw the ThinkPad brand reach leadership numbers quarter-on-quarter.
"The aspiration value of the product was far higher in India. That was a
successful period not just because we held on to the leadership numbers, but
also because while retaining the lead, customers were willing to pay us more for
the product," Neeraj reminisces.

Cricket and cuisine crazy

Neeraj is an avid sports fan and enjoys a good game of cricket. Like the entire
nation does, he thoroughly loves watching traditional rivals India and Pakistan
play. The nail biting finishes are more often than not, an edge-of-the-seat
affair. "Watching both teams play to their complete potential is an amazing
sight to witness," adds Neeraj. He is equally fond of catching up on the
latest news and movies too.

Another game Neeraj enjoys playing golf both for the love of the game as well
as the opportunity it provides him to interact and network with others. Whenever
possible, I make it a point to enjoy a round of golf.

He relishes good cuisine and eating out. His favored ones are Indian, Italian
and traditional western cuisine. Traveling is one thing he thoroughly enjoys.
The overseas destinations he loves visiting are Paris and Venice. While, back
home, Goa and his hometown Shimla are places he can go any number of times.
Neeraj dislikes lack of commitment in people. "It is disheartening when
people do not have a clear agenda, structure and purpose in their thinking"
quoted Neeraj.

Neeraj wife's Upasna has been instrumental in supporting and contributing
to his professional growth. He believes that as one moves up the ladder, this
manner of unstinted support is absolutely essential in maintaining a balance
between work and personal life. "Upasna has worked in Singapore when we
were living there and understands the demands and pressures of corporate life.
She gives me the strength, support and peace of mind to focus on my job, even
while she looks after our 19-month old son" adds the proud husband.

The road ahead

Neeraj's immediate responsibilities include keeping a track of the macro
indicators of the business, monitoring micro indicators of the business such as
sales data, new business pipeline and revenue generation charts.
"Additionally, a key focus will be on building high performance teams
during this transition period. Managing people is a direct mandate that I will
focus on during this period," informs Neeraj.

His current challenge is to make Lenovo an established brand in India known
for its quality, reliability and innovation. He said that it is off to a
positive start. "The challenge is to communicate our assurance in the
market that Lenovo is deeply committed to customers and partners in the Indian
marketplace," he notes.