The Indian Panorama

Tag: Arvind Krishna

  • IBM CEO Arvind Krishna joins USISPF Board

    IBM CEO Arvind Krishna joins USISPF Board

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (TIP): IBM CEO Arvind Krishna has joined the Board of Directors of US India Strategic and Partnership Forum (USISPF), an official announcement said on Thursday, February 15.

    Krishna, the 62-year-old Indian-American CEO among other things, is also a member of the Board of Directors of the New York Federal Reserve Bank and serves on the Board of Directors of Northrop Grumman.

    “His knowledge about technology is unmatched, and his track record for leading market transitions in areas like hybrid cloud business, quantum computing, and artificial intelligence is remarkable,” said USISPF chairman Jon Chambers. He said that Krisha is a true visionary and a leader who is always focused on what’s good for society at large. Shantanu Narayen, Chair and CEO of Adobe and vice chairman of USISPF, said Krishna’s strong leadership and deep technical expertise in AI, cloud, quantum computing, and global operations will be invaluable as India continues to be an incubator for the transformative power of technology.

    “When you think of the various diaspora success stories and the rise of the Indian-American CEO across Fortune 100 companies, you think of Arvind Krishna at IBM. At a time when the US and India are working to secure a deeper collaboration in the field of critical and emerging technologies, Arvind’s deep expertise in this sector will be an invaluable asset,” said USISPF president and CEO Mukesh Aghi.

    “For years, Arvind has successfully built strong commercial links between the US and India. During the pandemic, Arvind’s indefatigable efforts helped USISPF supply essential materials in oxygen cylinders and concentrators to help aid the several million COVID-19 victims in India,” he said.

    An industry and IBM veteran spanning over three decades with the tech giant, Krishna has led the building and expansion of new markets for IBM in artificial intelligence, cloud, quantum computing, and blockchain.

    Krishna has also been a driving force in the development of innovative IBM products and solutions and led a series of bold transformations that have delivered proven business results, including growing IBM’s Information Management business by 50 per cent.

    “The US and India share a unique bond, rooted in shared democratic values and strong economic and cultural ties. As a member of the USISPF, I look forward to finding ways for our two nations to use the power of technology to drive economic growth, create opportunities for all, and address the unique challenges of our time,” Krishna said.

    In 2016, Wired Magazine selected Krishna as “one of 25 geniuses who are creating the future of business” for his foundational work on blockchain.

    Despite being a leading tech expert, Krishna identifies as a consummate learner and has been an outspoken advocate for learning at every stage of one’s career.

    Krishna has made significant scientific contributions in several technical fields, including wireless networking, security, systems, and databases, and has founded IBM’s security software business and helped create the world’s first commercial wireless system, USISPF said.
    (Source: PTI)

  • Indian-origin CEOs who made headlines in 2023

    Indian-origin CEOs who made headlines in 2023

    Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s much-talked-about coup by hiring OpenAI’s Sam Altman shone the spotlight on how a good leader can make the best out of a difficult situation. The lesson in leadership was admired by global business leaders. Like Nadella, other Indian-origin CEOs made headlines in 2023, here’s a breakdown of some of them.
    Satya Nadella, Microsoft
    After OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was abruptly fired by the company board, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella pounced on the opportunity to bring him aboard. He announced that Altman and OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman will be joining Microsoft to head a new advanced AI research team. Later, as events unfolded, Sam Altman was reinstated as the CEO of OpenAI. Responding to the development, Nadella told Bloomberg TV it doesn’t matter where Altman ends up working — because “irrespective of where Sam is, he’s working with Microsoft.” The tech giant is an investor in OpenAI, pouring $10 billion into the AI startup.
    Sundar Pichai, Alphabet

    Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai made headlines for the layoffs in the company and for the antitrust trial between Google and Fortnite developer Epic Games, which has accused the internet search giant of abusive, monopolistic practices via its app store. Pichai asserted that Google does not intentionally stifle competition when it came to the multiple rounds of layoffs in the company, Pichai stated, “Clearly it’s not the right way to do it. I think it’s something we could have done differently for sure.”
    Vishal Garg, Better.com
    The Better.com CEO made headlines in 2021 by laying off 900 employees over a Zoom call. In 2022, the company gave its employees in India the option to quit voluntarily and accepted over 900 resignations. Continuing the trend, in 2023, Vishal Garg laid off its entire real estate team and shut down the unit, according to a report by TechCrunch. In an interview with the publication, Garg said he underwent a lot of leadership training to rebuild the trust within and outside the company.
    Shantanu Narayen, Adobe
    The Adobe CEO recently made headlines after the company shelved its $20 billion cash-and-stock deal for cloud-based designer platform Figma, stating that there was “no clear path” for approvals from antitrust regulators in the European Union and the UK. Shantanu Narayen also made news when he did not agree with Infosys founder Narayan Murthy that young Indians should work 70 hours a week for the sake of the country’s development. “People should do what they want without taking the victim mentality –that I am being told what to do,” he said.
    Ajay Pal Banga, World Bank

    Indian-origin Ajay Banga made headlines earlier this year after being announced as the World Bank president. In May, the World Bank’s 25-member executive board elected Banga to a five-year term as president. Earlier in his career, Banga also led Mastercard as its COO and CEO. In 2016, he was also conferred with the Padma Shri for his contribution to trade and industry.
    Arvind Krishna, IBM
    As employers and employees tussle with the return to office mandate, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna made news after he issued a warning to his employees that remote work can hurt their career prospects, especially for managerial roles. The IIT Kanpur alumnus said he is not asking anyone to come back to the office now, but “We encourage you to come in, we expect you to come in, we want you to come in.”
    Parag Agrawal
    The former CEO of Twitter, now X, made headlines after Elon Musk released his autobiography. In it, Parag Agrawal’s ex-boss said that he lacked leadership qualities. Musk revealed that he met Agrawal over dinner before he bought Twitter and concluded that he did not have “leadership quality”. “He’s a really nice guy. What Twitter needs is a fire-breathing dragon and Parag is not that,” Musk reportedly said after meeting with Agrawal.

  • Three Indian-American CEOs join task force to help India fight COVID-19

    Three Indian-American CEOs join task force to help India fight COVID-19

    WASHINGTON (TIP): Sunder Pichai from Google, Punit Renjen from Deloitte and Shantanu Narayen from Adobe have joined the steering committee of the Global Task Force on Pandemic Response, which is overseeing an unprecedented corporate sector initiative to help India successfully fight COVID-19.

    The names of the three CEOs were added to the list of the steering committee on May 6. The CEOs have been active in organizing U.S. companies’ response to the COVID-19 crisis in India.

    Others who were added to the list on May 6 are Mark Suzman, CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Joshua Bolten, president and CEO, Business Roundtable; and Suzanne Clark, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

    The task force is a newly formed public-private partnership organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and supported by Business Roundtable. It is working with the Chamber’s U.S.-India Business Council and the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum to take immediate actions to help address the COVID-19 surge in India.

    The U.S. corporate sector so far has committed more than 25,000 oxygen concentrators for India. The first 1,000 oxygen concentrators, provided by Deloitte, arrived in India on April 25, with critical logistical support from FedEx. These concentrators will be shipped to designated healthcare facilities for immediate use, the task force said.

    The first shipment of ventilators landed in India early this week. All 1,000 ventilators are expected to reach India by June 3. Medtronic will provide end-to-end support for the initiative. As many as 16 businesses have joined the task force’s ventilator initiative.

    Together, these businesses will provide over $30 million in support for India’s healthcare response – joining the dozens of businesses which have pledged their support in efforts to provide oxygen concentrators, develop information and best practices to support employees in India and more, the task force said.

    According to the task force, while the country has been reporting over 4,00,000 cases daily, the actual case rate in India is estimated to be much higher.

    Experts forecast the crisis will only worsen, with India’s peak not expected until mid-May, it said. Other members of the steering committee include Julie Sweet, CEO of Accenture; Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; Brian Moynihan, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Bank of America; Raj Subramaniam, president of FedEx; and Arvind Krishna, Chairman and CEO, IBM.

    Gail McGovern, president and CEO, American Red Cross; Mike Parra, CEO Americas, DHL Express; Jim Fitterling, Chairman and CEO, Dow; Alex Gorsky, chairman of the Board and CEO, Johnson & Johnson; Michael Miebach, CEO, Mastercard; Geoff Martha, chairman and CEO, Medtronic; Brad Smith, president, Microsoft; Ramon Laguarta, Chairman of the Board and CEO, PepsiCo; Carol Tomé, CEO, UPS; Sanjay Poonen, COO, VMware; and Judith McKenna, President and CEO, Walmart International are also members of the task force.

    Till date, over 45 U.S. businesses and associations have contributed to the Global Task Force’s activities. While the task force is focusing initial efforts on the pressing need in India, additional working groups will be formed to address COVID-19 surges in other countries.

    Through its steering committee, the task force will work to concentrate efforts where corporate support will be most beneficial, it said.

    (Source: PTI)