Hitachi appoints Bharat Kaushal as first non-Japanese MD for India

Japanese multinational conglomerate Hitachi has cjosen Bharat Kaushal as the next managing director for its India operations. Kaushal, who takes charge on June 1, will be the first Indian to head Hitachi India.

The majority of Japanese companies have a Japanese to head their India operation. Panasonic, Daikin and Nissan are exceptions. Kaushal will be replacing Kojin Nakakita, who will be elevated as chairman of Hitachi India and Hitachi Asia.

Currently, Kaushal is chairman in India of Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC), a Japanese multinational banking and financial services entity. At SMBC, he was the first non-Japanese to hold the position of chief executive officer when he was elevated to the post in 2012. A specialist in investment banking, corporate finance, government advisory, debt restructuring and mergers & acquisitions, Kaushal has been in SMBC for 20 years.

An alumnus of St Stephen's College, Delhi, his professional career began in the early 1990s. He completed a Master's degree in international affairs from Columbia University during 1996-98. And an MBA from Northeastern University, Boston.

Kaushal is also a member of the Indo-Japan Task Force, set up by the two governments to boost two-way business. And, is convenor of the Financial Strategy Group to address policy and operational concerns of Japanese government and private sector institutions pursuing business opportunities in India.

While the greater part of his career has been in investment banking, he has also been a strategy advisor to the India Investment Center of the department of economic affairs of the government and part of the Economic Policy Unit of the World Bank in Washington DC.

"The management at Hitachi unanimously believed in the decision of appointing an Indian to lead the company's ambitious and challenging mandate. India is a strategic and emerging market for us," said Nakakita.