BS People: Krithiwas Neelakantan

Channel expert moves to NetApp

For storage and data management solutions provider NetApp, the appointment of Krithiwas Neelakantan is part of a new strategy charted to penetrate deeper into emerging markets. With a theme of driving more business through innovation, the company believes that Neelakantan’s experience could act as a catalyst for growth.

In his new role, Neelakantan, director channel & alliances for India & Saarc operations, will spearhead channel development and channel enablement programmes, cementing channel relationships and driving sales within the NetApp partner ecosystem.

An alumnus of NIT, Calicut, Neelakantan assumed the new seat from Oracle where he was director for the company’s channel business. With exposure that spans across major corporations like Sun Microsystems and Wipro, he managed portfolios with varied lines of businesses such as education, health care, volume sales, business development and channels.

The business model of NetApp, which is mainly driven by a partner ecosystem, needs a veteran who understands the channel ecosystem. If the company is able to successfully tap his selling skills, knowledge and 18 years of industry experience, it has a good chance of achieving success in India.

Krithiwas is an ardent reader, especially of biographies and of top historians, and is especially interested in world history.