StorageTek announced the appointment of Ajay Desai as national manager—storage solutions for its India operations. Desai was with EMC India as regional director of partners and alliances. He brings over 16 years of industry experience with business development and field management experiences at SAP India as well as at Microland. “We aim to build our presence in India—one of the most critical markets in the Asia Pacific region for StorageTek. Ajay’s extensive business development experience and his ability to lead and manage teams, will be key in building our customer base,” added Vijay Pradhan.

He will be reporting directly to Vijay Pradhan, general manager of India operations, StorageTek. Desai began his career with OMC Computers as a management trainee and grew to become the regional sales manager within six years. He has worked with both multinational and Indian companies and is a firm believer in the values of reliability and consistency in business relationships.

IT education major Aptech announced that C Y Pal, non-executive chairman of Cadbury (India), has joined its Board of Directors. Pal has extensive experience with several iconic non-durable brands that millions of households the world over are familiar with—Cadbury (India) and Hindustan Levers, included. He has over four decades of valuable experience in multinational companies. He was with Hindustan Lever for 17 years and has been associated with Cadbury India as managing director for over 10 years.

Pal has also been actively involved with industry associations. He was president of the prestigious Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1991-92 and was a member of the Management Committee of Assocham for many years. In addition, Pal is president of the Franchising Association of India—a body affiliated to the World Franchising Council—for promoting franchising in the country. He is also involved as a promoter and chairman with an Indo-American export-oriented JV company, Renfro India, for the manufacture and export of socks to Europe and the US. Welcoming Pal, Pramod Khera, CEO and managing director of Aptech, said, “Pal’s induction will add another dimension to this company as it continues to add value in the formal and non-formal education space with a clear focus on customer issues.”