Wednesday December 2, 2009

Yasmin Mahmood leaves Microsoft Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: Yasmin Mahmood, the managing director of Microsoft Malaysia will leave the company at the end of the year. She will pass the baton to Ananth Lazarus, who has been appointed as the company’s managing director with effect from January 1.

With over 22 years experience in the ICT industry, 11 of which have been with Microsoft, Lazarus was previously the regional senior director of small and medium businesses.

He was also Microsoft Malaysia’s chief marketing and operations officer and director of small to midmarket solutions and partners from 2004 to 2007.

“I am very excited to return to Malaysia, a country that I consider my second home and love working in. I am thrilled with the opportunity to work with the amazing team at Microsoft in Malaysia yet again,” said Lazarus, who had been based out of Singapore for the past two years.

Meanwhile Yasmin described her three years at Microsoft Malaysia as being “the most memorable ones to date in my entire career.” “Besides the achievements made on the corporate front, my journey in Microsoft Malaysia was also a personal one for me to discover ‘self’ and who I really am as a person and as a professional.

“I am delighted to be passing on the baton to Ananth whom I am sure will take the company to even greater heights,” she said.

Yasmin has accepted the position of executive director of YTL Communications and will start in her new role on February 1.

Microsoft Asia-Pacific president Emilio Umeoka expressed the company’s gratitude to Yasmin for her efforts and achievements over the past three years.

“During this time, she has helped strengthen the relationships Microsoft has with its customers, developers, distributors and the Malaysian Government, he said.

“Yasmin brought an energy and passion to Microsoft Malaysia, and her efforts to ‘Malaysianise’ Microsoft and align the company’s investments in Malaysia with the aspirations of the Malaysian Government was very positive,” he said.

“I am excited that Ananth will be bringing his style of leadership to Malaysia, a country Microsoft considers as being extremely important in the region,” he added.

The Malaysian Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry (Pikom) described this development as being “extremely positive for local ICT industry” and wished Microsoft Malaysia and Yasmin every success in their respective new chapters.

Pikom president C J Ang described Yasmin, who was recognised by the association recently as the “2009 ICT Person of the Year,” as a “visionary yet down-to-earth leader.”

“At the same time, Pikom is heartened to welcome the appointment of Ananth Lazarus as the company’s managing drector with open arms,” he said, adding that Pikom is looking forward to Microsoft Malaysia continuing in its role of being a catalyst of growth for the local ICT industry.