Pramod Bhasin is new Nasscom chairman

Nasscom, the apex trade body for the Indian IT industry, has appointed Pramod Bhasin as the chairman of its executive council for the year 2009-2010.

Bhasin, who is president and CEO of Genpact, was Nasscom's vice chairman previously and he succeeds Ganesh Natarajan, who was the chairman for the year 2008-09.

Nasscom also announced the appointment of Harsh Manglik as the vice chairman of the council. Manglik is the chairman and managing director for Accenture in India.

Bhasin takes over as chairman at a time when the software body has revised its growth targets downwards for FY09. On the back of a slowing global economy, Nasscom said IT-BPO exports are expected to grow at around 16-17 per cent as against the earlier 25-30 per cent growth estimates. “While we are experiencing the worst economic downturn of our life, I believe there has never been a more relevant time for the IT-BPO Industry to prove its worth. 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. We view this is as a huge opportunity,” said Bhasin.