Anant Maheshwari, the President of Microsoft India, has resigned from his position after nearly seven years with the company. A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed the news, stating that Maheshwari has decided to pursue a role outside of Microsoft. The company expressed gratitude for Maheshwari’s contributions to their business and culture in India. The Economic Times was the first to report this development.
Maheshwari joined Microsoft in 2016, bringing with him extensive experience from his previous roles at companies like Honeywell and McKinsey & Company. He also holds positions as an independent board member and director at Aditya Birla Group, as well as serving as the chairperson of NASSCOM.
Maheshwari’s departure follows a wave of executive exits from top-level positions at various tech companies, including Meta, Amazon, and Google, as well as startups like Zomato, Nykaa, and Swiggy.
In a related development, Puneet Chandok, the President of Commercial Business at Amazon Web Services (AWS) for India and South Asia, recently stepped down from his role. Speculation suggests that Chandok may be heading to Microsoft India. The company is reportedly undergoing a reshuffle at the executive level.
According to reports, Microsoft’s COO Irina Ghose has been promoted to the position of Managing Director, while Sashi Sreedharan, the Indian Managing Director, has been elevated to a higher role. Additionally, Navtej Bal, a former director of the public sector at Microsoft India, has been appointed as the COO. Venkat Krishnan, who previously led partnerships, has been promoted to the position of Executive Director of the public sector business.
Earlier this year, Microsoft carried out layoffs at its India Development Centres and research and development divisions in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, resulting in job losses for several employees. The reasons behind these layoffs were not explicitly disclosed by the company.
As the executive landscape continues to evolve in the Indian tech industry, the departures and reshuffling of top-level positions at Microsoft India indicate a period of change and transition for the company.
