Genpact’s Pramod Bhasin to be new NASSCOM chief

Pramod Bhasin, president and chief executive officer of Genpact Ltd, has been appointed chairman of the National Association of Software and Service Companies, the apex trade organisation of the information technology and outsourcing industry, for the year 2009-2010, a NASSCOM release said on Thursday.

Bhasin takes over from Ganesh Natarajan, the chief executive of Zensar Technologies Ltd. Harsh Manglik, who is the chairman and geography managing director for Accenture in India, has been appointed the vice-chairman of the council.

"Pramod brings a wealth of experience in IT – BPO sector that would be immensely relevant to the challenges facing the industry today. He is widely known for his adept leadership and ability to take bold deci-sions," Nasscom president Som Mittal said.

Bhasin takes over at a time when the overseas business of India's IT and BPO firms is under pressure as US and Eurpoe, their main markets outside the country, are reeling under the recession. ''While we are experiencing the worst economic downturn of our life, I believe that there has never been a more relevant time for the IT-BPO industry to prove its worth,'' Bhasin said in a statement.

Nasscom has twice lowered growth projections for the industry in a year and now expects exports of software services to touch $47 billion in revenues in the financial year to 31 March, growing only by 16.3 per cent, compared with a 30 per cent growth in the previous fiscal year.

''In these difficult times, we have the potential to help global corporations not only cut cost and preserve cash, but also become more efficient, innovative and profitable,'' Bhasin said. ''We view this is as a huge opportunity, which will help us maintain our leadership position and sustain our growth.''

Bhasin said he would focus on key initiatives such as education, infrastructure, security and corporate governance, which he sees as crucial for the growth and reputation of the Indian IT-BPO industry.