Panasonic elevates its India business CEO Manish Sharma as chairman

Japanese electronics major Panasonic Corporation has elevated its India business CEO Manish Sharma to the position of chairman.

Sharma will now assume responsibility of leading the various Panasonic businesses and subsidiaries in India such as operational excellence, appliances company and lifestyle updates business division, a company release said.

An engineering graduate, he is the first Indian and the youngest leader to become an executive officer at the global level for the company which is an elite team of senior leaders for framing future growth plans.

Sharma was the erstwhile president & CEO at Panasonic India and South Asia. "I look forward to strengthening Panasonic’s business in the region with a strong partner and customer ecosystem as well as pursuing new opportunities that will propel the company into the next stage of growth,” he said.

He had joined Panasonic in 2008 and played a key role in spearheading the growth and transformation of Panasonic India from a consumer electronics company to a technology solutions company. Sharma had initially joined as the brand lead for the consumer electronics and home appliances division.

In 2010, he was elevated to the position of director of sales and marketing, after which he became the managing director of Panasonic India in April 2012, and in 2016, he was moved to the position of CEO of the business.

Prior to this, Sharma has worked with Haier, Samsung, and LG Hotline in the past. He holds an engineering degree from the Bhilai Institute of Technology.