Microsoft Appoints Carlos Lacerda As Managing Director For Malaysia

Business, innovation and thought leadership will be channeled towards Microsoft’s commitment to transform Malaysia together

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 November 2012 – Microsoft has announced Carlos Lacerda as its new Managing Director for Malaysia, who will lead the company’s effort to chart business, innovation and thought leadership to positively transform Malaysian education, businesses and lives. Microsoft also announced the appointment of Ananth Lazarus to his new role as Partner Sales Lead for the Asia Pacific region.

“I am thrilled to join the Microsoft Malaysia family. This couldn’t be a better year to come on board – especially with this year being the 20th anniversary of Microsoft’s commitment to Malaysia as well as a tremendous year of innovation for the company. I look forward to working with the rest of the team in bringing to life our pledge of Transforming Malaysia Together and take Microsoft Malaysia forward into the next phase of our history,” said Carlos.

Carlos is no stranger to Microsoft having previously served in various leadership roles for Microsoft’s business groups as well as sales and marketing functions in Europe. He then left in 2009 to become Chief Executive Officer at Farminveste, IPG, a holding company with interests in various industries including pharmaceuticals, information technology (“IT”), real estate, healthcare, market research as well as E-commerce, online information and advertising. Beyond his responsibilities as Farmvinveste CEO, Carlos also serves in various industry advisory boards.

Commenting on the newly appointed MD for Microsoft Malaysia, Microsoft APAC President Tracey Fellows added “Carlos was identified through an extensive search within and outside Microsoft. I see in Carlos a blend of great leadership, an ability to learn new industries and manage change in challenging economic conditions. At the same time, he has a real passion for Microsoft – the people, the products, and our impact. All this has made him an excellent choice for this role. Carlos joins an already diverse and dynamic management team in Malaysia, and I have full confidence in his leadership of the team towards a stronger growth trajectory.”

Meanwhile, outgoing managing director for Microsoft Malaysia, Ananth Lazarus will move on to lead the company’s Partner Sales function in the Asia Pacific region, based in Singapore. Under Ananth’s leadership, Microsoft Malaysia has seen its business and market leadership grow, becoming a trusted advisor to the Malaysian Government on ICT related matters, and lead many transformation initiatives in the area of education, businesses and lives. Ananth’s sustained focus on customers and partners also led to Microsoft Malaysia having the highest customer satisfaction ratings in the Asia Pacific Region.

As the new Partner Sales Lead for Microsoft Asia Pacific, Ananth will be responsible for the region’s partner strategy to grow share, platform adoption and readiness. He will also be accountable for joint field pipeline engagement, helping Microsoft’s partners across the region in various.

“Taking on the Managing Director role in Malaysia was in many ways very rewarding for me personally. Having spent about six years here, leading Microsoft Malaysia became more than a job: I have had the pleasure of seeing Malaysia leverage technology to transform itself into a leading nation today. Now, with my new role, I have been tasked to further influence an important part of Microsoft’s business which I’m very passionate about. I am looking forward to leading a part of the businesses that has grown in complexity and opportunity over the last few years. Even so, while I am excited to be given this opportunity, Malaysia will continue to stay very close to my heart,” said Ananth.

Commenting on Ananth’s appointment to his regional role, Tracey Fellows said, “Through Ananth’s leadership, Microsoft Malaysia has grown its business in the last three years with a positive impact across education, businesses and lives. This is an encouraging feat considering the opportunities and growth of the market as well as the very competitive nature of our business. He has successfully led the effort to attract top notch talent, while having a relentless focus on addressing customer and partner needs. I am very pleased to see him take on this new and expanded role.”

Carlos will assume his responsibilities as Managing Director for Microsoft Malaysia upon completion of the necessary work authorization processes.