Firdose Vandrevala, chairman, Motorola India moves on

Firdose Vandrevala, chairman, Motorola India and corporate vice-president, Motorola Inc., has decided to move on. His last day with the company will be June 30.

In an official communiqué, Simon Leung, president, Asia Pacific, Motorola Inc said that Vandrevala’s exit was backed by his decision to pursue other career interests.

Leung did not forget to mention Vandrevala’s contribution to the company’s growth, governance and strategy in India.

Prior to joining Motorola, Vandrevala had been an old hand with the Tata Group where he spent around 33 years. Out of this, he spent 29 years with Tata Steel at various positions till he became the deputy managing director in 2001.

Stepping in Vandrevala’s shoes for the interim period is Amit Sharma, who is currently vice president-strategy, Asia Pacific and regional management, South East Asia. In his current role, he is responsible for developing strategic plans to drive Motorola’s growth in Asia, and is directly responsible for leading the country managers in the fast growing South East Asia market. Along with his current responsibilities, he will also have the additional mandate to oversee the Indian operations.

In his new interim role, Sharma, who has been a member of Motorola’s Asia Pacific senior management team since 1997, will now continue to further drive Motorola's vision for the country, by leading it towards releasing its brand potential and growth.

Prior to joining Motorola, Sharma has served as vice-president, strategic planning and business development, GE Capital, where he was responsible for developing long-term strategic plans for the company.

Sharma is an executive member of several industry associations such as Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), AmCham Board of Governors and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).