Cisco appoints Jeff White as president, India and SAARC

 Cisco has appointed Jeff White as president, sales and operations of India & SAARC countries. White will also take on the role of leader of a new India Board, which comprises senior executives from Cisco's headquarters as well as India and will chart Cisco's continued engagement with one of the largest emerging economies in the world. 

White will report to Jaime Valles, president of Cisco in Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China (APJC), and will work in partnership with Faiyaz Shahpurwala, senior vice president, Industry Solutions and India Site Leader. 

White will also be working closely with Wim Elfrink, executive vice president, Industry Solutions and Chief Globalisation Officer, who is also Cisco's Executive Sponsor for India. Elfrink was one of the primary drivers for Cisco's investment in the Globalisation Centre East in 2007 and was based out of Bangalore until 2011. 

Together, this senior leadership combine will continue Cisco's momentum in India and will seek to build a strong local identity for the company through: close engagement with the government; investments in local companies; an expanded range of products and solutions innovated in India, for India and for the world; nurturing talent and innovation in the 10,000 strong employee base; and advancements in service delivery and creation. 

The key industry verticals that Cisco will focus on in India are BFSI, IT Services, public sector, telecom service provider and small and mid-sized businesses. 

"I am extremely honoured to have been given the opportunity to lead one of the most important emerging markets for Cisco. We have demonstrated strong growth in the country so far and I am optimistic for the future as well. India has seen advancements in technology adoption across industry sectors. I aim to support this growth by strengthening local innovation, and continuing to forge strong relationships with our customers, partners and the government,'' said White. 

White has been with Cisco since 1997 in a range of leadership positions across channels, IT, managed services, infrastructure and enterprise solutions. His most recent position was vice president for Cisco's service provider business in APJC based out of Singapore. He will relocate to Bangalore with his family.