New Intel chief in India

Intel has a new chief in India. Dr Ketan Sampat, Director of Intel's

e-Business Group (Asia) now takes over as President of Intel India -- a

newly created post. Sampat will be responsible for all of Intel's activities

in India including business development, R&D and strategic investments in

the country.

Technically, Sampat will head Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd and as such

will oversee research at the Intel India Development Center (IIDC) in Bangalore.

At a press conference here on Thursday the company announced that Avtar

Saini will continue as Director (South Asia) looking after sales and marketing with Amar Babu (sales) and Jayant Murty (Marketing) reporting to

him. Manni Kantipudi will move out as head of IIDC into Sampat's earlier

role as head of the Asia e-Business Group.

Though Saini and Kantipudi will not formally report to Sampat, the new Intel

India president says he was now in charge of "everything to do with Intel's

presence in India." The press conference was addressed jointly by Sampat and

Saini.

According to Saini the changes herald Intel's new phase of growth in India.

"Historically Intel has had one senior person in the country. But as we

enter the next level of growth it is important to have people more focused

on specific areas. Which is why we decided to have two senior people," says

he. According to Saini the announcement was an "execution really of what

Craig Barret said when he came to India last year - that we have big plans

of growth in the country." It's a sign, he says, that Intel is taking India

very seriously "as the new frontier."

The new Intel India president Sampat says, "Intel is raising its strategic

commitment to India today. We believe our presence here is not just about  selling our products in this market. It is about a long-term strategic relationship with the country."

Sampat says that his charter would include

enabling policies for balanced growth, encouraging investment in

e-governance and  most specifically in education.

According to Sampat a lot of Intel executives in the US have been moving to

India in the last few months and the trend is expected to continue. "At the

moment about 10 percent of the project manager/tech lead level people are

those who moved into India from outside. Which is good for us since they

understand the technology and the company," he says. However, he also added

the company to hire local talent out of colleges for its development center

in Bangalore. Sampat himself will be based out of Bangalore.

The move, according to Saini strengthens what Intel believes is the dual

engine of growth in India and APAC - a large market and the infrastructure

and skills for a growing development base. While APAC is Intel's largest

geography accounting for 38 percent of all revenues, India is the seventh

largest consumption market for the company projected to be fifth largest by

2007 (after the US, China, Latin America and Japan)

Saini who relocated to India in 1999 helped set up and grow the India

development center to nearly 1000 people. Among other things the India team

is now driving the lead design on Intel's next generation Xeon processor.

Nearly half of the company's development work force on its large e-corp

project also works out of Bangalore.

CYBER NEWS SERVICE



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