Industry veterans Kulmeet Bawa and Sindhu Gangadharan have been leading the way for SAP’s deepening presence in India as a trusted technology partner to help businesses and organisations run better with intelligent and sustainable SAP solutions. The two SAP leaders have recently been given key appointments in ASSOCHAM and Siemens India.
SAP India, one of the fastest-growing subsidiaries of SAP SE, and SAP Labs India, the tech company’s largest Research and Development center outside Germany, have been long-established key players in the country’s IT sector contributing to the rapidly growing digital transformation market forecasted to hit the $710 billion mark by 2024 with a CAGR of 74{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}. In 2021, SAP India achieved a historical double digit-growth across all market segments, which prompted SAP to double its contribution from the country by 2025.
Responsible for the remarkable achievements and innovations of the two SAP entities in India are Kulmeet Bawa, SAP Indian Subcontinent Managing Director, and Sindhu Gangadharan, SVP, SAP User Enablement & Managing Director, SAP Labs India. Most recently, the tech giant’s esteemed leaders Bawa and Gangadharan have been given the opportunity to extend their capacity outside SAP as the Chairman of ASSOCHAM’s National Council on IT & ITEs & Digital Commerce and an independent board director of Siemens India, respectively.
Kulmeet Bawa to Lead the IT Sector’s Global Competitiveness
SAP Indian Subcontinent MD Bawa has been appointed by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) as Chairman of its National Council on IT & ITEs & Digital Commerce in a bid to realise the ‘New India’ vision that is anchored on four key priorities: Sustainability, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship, and Digitisation.
“In my role as ASSOCHAM IT, ITeS, and Digital Commerce chair, I look forward to partnering with all stakeholders in supporting the industry through IT policies and best practices conducive to the holistic growth of the entire ecosystem,” Bawa stated.
As the body responsible for creating value from digital transformation, the National Council on IT, ITeS & Digital Commerce is expected to design policies and implementation guidelines on emerging technologies including cloud computing, IoT, AI, and Blockchain. ASSOCHAM also explained that the council collaborates with other stakeholders for policy advocacy as well as delving into cyber-physical systems like Industry 4.0 and smart cities.
“The IT & ITeS industry today stands at an inflection point with newer and emerging technologies playing an instrumental role in steering India’s digital transformation. Under Mr. Kulmeet’s leadership, the council will work together to further strengthen the industry’s global competitiveness and foster its diverse array of priorities that will help foster India’s inclusive and long-term socio-economic growth,” the trade body explained.
Prior to Bawa’s onboarding as President & Managing Director of SAP Indian subcontinent in 2020, the industry veteran had held various executive positions in other major tech companies such as Microsoft and Adobe.
Sindhu Gangadharan as Independent Director in Siemens India
SAP long-timer Gangadharan has recently taken the role of independent director in Siemen’s Board of Directors. Aside from the comprehensive portfolio of Siemens India, she highlighted that the company’s market-oriented organisation structure and global and local technology competence have been transformative factors in the industry. About her latest appointment, she said:
“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to work with some of the finest minds in the industry to transform every day for people leveraging the power of Siemens technology.”
Gangadharan wears many hats including NASSCOM EC Member, Board of Directors – Qualtrics, Independent Director, Titan Company Ltd, and Indo-German Chamber of Commerce Steering Cmte Member as shared in her LinkedIn profile. She has also been a testament to SAP’s advocacy on equality and inclusivity as the first woman to lead SAP Labs India– breaking the glass ceiling not only in the tech space but most importantly in India where women empowerment has just started to gain momentum.
