Microsoft has announced the appointment of a new head of Microsoft Windows and Surface. IIT Madras alumni Pavan Davuluri has assumed the role following the departure of Panos Panay, who was previously leading the department. Last year, Panay left his position to join Amazon. Microsoft previously had separate leadership for Windows and Surface. They were led by Mikhail Parakhin and Pavan Davuluri respectively. Now, Davuluri has assumed responsibility for both Windows and Surface products.
In his new role, he will report directly to Rajesh Jha, Microsoft’s head of experiences and devices. Jha stated in a memo that Windows is once again streamlining its Windows and devices team. “This will enable us to take a holistic approach to building silicon, systems, experiences, and devices that span Windows client and cloud for this AI era,” the memo read, according to a report by The Verge.
Here are 5 facts about Pavan Davuluri that you need to know
- IIT Madras Graduate: Pavan Davuluri is an alumnus of the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
- Master of Science from the University of Maryland: After his graduation, he pursued a Master of Science degree at the University of Maryland in the United States.
- Long-term Microsoft Employee: Davuluri has been associated with Microsoft for over 23 years, starting his career as a Reliability Component Manager.
- New Head of Microsoft Windows and Surface: He was appointed as the new head of Microsoft Windows and Surface following Panos Panay’s departure to Amazon.
- Leadership Roles: Throughout his career at Microsoft, Davuluri has held various positions, most recently overseeing Windows Silicon and Systems Integration before taking on his current role.
Davuluri has joined an elite group of Indian Americans who lead Silicon Valley’s tech giants. Sundar Pichai, who was born in Madurai and is also an IIT alumnus, is the CEO of Google’s parent company, Alphabet. Satya Nadella has been the CEO of Microsoft since 2014. Other prominent Indian-origin CEOs of global tech companies include Ravi Kumar S of Cognizant, Arvind Krishna of IBM, Nikesh Arora of Palo Alto Networks, Neal Mohan of YouTube, and Shantanu Narayen of Adobe.
ALSO READ: Mustafa Suleyman joins Microsoft AI as CEO: All you need to know