Sunil Dutt – RIM's India Hope?

You would have heard of what's on at RIM's Canadian headquarters. And if you think that RIM is doomed for good, then don't sweat. It might be in a mess, but operations in countries like India are still going strong. There's still a substantive market for the smartphone major in India. And given the rate at which the use of data services is picking up, India might become one of its largest markets. In order to ensure that RIM does not miss out on this opportunity, it has appointed Sunil Dutt as MD for its India operations. With an extensive experience of over 27 years in the Indian mobile technology and telecom sector, Dutt brings to RIM a wealth of expertise. Given his understanding of the business, BlackBerry fans in India can expect good things to come. Prior to joining RIM, he was working with HP India as President of the Personal Systems group. He was responsible for expanding HP's business in the enterprise, mid-market and consumer space. More than anyone else, it is Nokia which should be keeping a close eye on Dutt. The Finnish handset maker has almost lost its grip on the Indian smartphone market and BlackBerry's success will only make it weaker.

TATA's Succession Mystery Ends with Mistry

In what can be termed as the most talked-about succession decisions taken in India in decades, Cyrus Mistry, MD of Shapoorji Pallonji Group (who is also on the board of Tata Sons) was appointed as Ratan Tata's successor on November 23, 2011. Mistry, who's family is the single-largest stakeholder in Tata Sons (17%) had earlier made a strong pitch for an inside employee to be the next Chairman. He has a strong experience in operations and gels well with Ratan Tata.