Philips has announced the appointment of Harshavardhan Chitale as CEO of Philips Lighting solutions, South Asia, effective from 1st January, 2015. In his new role, Harsh will be based in Gurgaon and will be responsible for driving and building the Lighting Solutions business for Philips in India. He will report to the Market Group Leader, Lighting Solutions, Philips Growth Markets.
Harsh brings with him extensive experience of leading successful organisations in the services and solutions space. He joins from HCL Infosystems, where he was the MD & CEO, leading a multiple set of businesses including IT Products, solutions & services and distribution of IT/telecom and Consumer Electronics products. He was also a member of the team that founded HCL's new venture in Healthcare delivery called HCL Healthcare Ltd and was a Director on the Board of that company.
Commenting on his role at Philips Lighting, Harsh said, "I am indeed looking forward to this new role. Lighting is an exciting industry to be in and it's even more exciting to work with Philips, which has shaped and led the industry over the years. The timing is just right as the company is in a great position to benefit from the fundamental changes taking place in the lighting industry, where value is shifting from individual products to systems and services."
After graduating in Engineering from IIT- Delhi, Harsh joined the Tata Administrative Services and spent significant time with Tata Honeywell. Subsequently he moved to Honeywell Inc. as the MD and CEO of Honeywell Automation, which is Honeywell's Public listed entity in India for the business of Automation & Control Solutions; and then to other global roles in Honeywell International. At Honeywell international, Harsh lead on a worldwide basis, Strategy, Marketing & Business Development for Honeywell process Solutions, before becoming the leader (VP&GM) of Honeywell's Process Solution's business for North America and South America. Harsh left Honeywell in 2010 and moved back to India as the CEO of HCL Infosystems.
