BS People: Bhaskar Pramanik

The Sun of IT

Industry observers credit Bhaskar Pramanik with building Sun Microsystems’ India business from the scratch to one of the leading global companies in the country, before it was acquired by Oracle in April 2009.

He understood Sun’s India business threadbare, and this was a reason why his expertise proved handy for Sun Microsystems when it was undergoing the crucial phase of integration. But by that time, Pramanik had moved to a global role – vice-president, global commercial systems (sales) at Sun Microsystems — after heading the company’s India operations for over five years.

Pramanik, who then joined Oracle India as the managing director, was instrumental in ensuring a smooth integration of Sun Microsystems India with the company. It came as a big surprise to industry watchers when Pramanik last week announced his decision to quit Oracle India to pursue opportunities outside the company. Even though Pramanik is playing his card close to his chest, people close to him say he may be considering another innings in leadership position at a global IT firm in India.

Born in West Bengal, Pramanik, who holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from IIT-Kanpur and an MBA from Stanford University, likes to play golf in spare time. Before joining Sun in November 1997, he had also held several senior management positions in companies like Digital Equipment India, Blue Star, and NELCO. It was under his leadership that Digital Equipment India built a team in India through a joint venture.