BS People: Puneet Chandra

Wipro gets new marketing boss to regain lost ground

For Puneet Chandra, the new chief marketing officer (IT Business) of Wipro, the appointment could not have come at a more difficult time.

The global IT outsourcing services industry is going through a rough patch and Wipro itself is undergoing restructuring to win back lost market share.

Chandra, who is fairly new to marketing, has been associated with Wipro for over 12 years. He has a proven track record in the company.

Chandra was instrumental in setting up the back office business unit of Wipro, encompassing finance, HR and procurement and order management processes. Prior to his new role, he was the vice-president, corporate business services, Wipro BPO.

Primarily a chartered accountant, Chandra has some experience in business development as well. He has spearheaded the efforts to set up centres in Brazil, Mexico, the US, Poland, Romania and China.

Before joining Wipro in 2001, he was a self-employed businessman providing rental sound reinforcement systems in north India. In 1989, he started a manufacturing business and developed a quality control tool for the manufacturing industry.

As the new marketing officer, Chandra will be reporting to Shaji Farooq, senior vice-president, advanced technologies, global alliances and go-to-market transformation, of the company.

In his spare time, Chandra loves photography, travelling, reading mythological books and listening to music.