Panasonic India Redefines Identity, Says Manish Sharma

After​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ nearly 20 years of operation, Panasonic India, a go-between Osaka-based Panasonic Corporation in Japan, is the case after nearly 20 years of operation, the Indian subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation, Japan is more and more being considered as a locally grown Indian company with Japanese roots, said Manish Sharma, the outgoing Chairman.

Under Sharma's 13-year stewardship, the firm transformed from a consumer electronics brand to a technology and manufacturing giant driven by solutions. Its makeover is based on two main pillars - the consumer business (air conditioners, TVs, appliances) and the B2B and industrial solutions portfolio (automation, energy, and digital integration).

“By next year, we might see our smart factory solutions business reaching a turnover of ₹1,000–2,000 crore,” Sharma said. He also mentioned that decentralization and an entrepreneurial spirit have changed the way the company works.

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After joining the company in 2008 and being promoted to the CEO position in 2012, Sharma was one of the very few Indian heads of Japanese MNCs in India. His move motivated several other JVs to follow the same path (Sony, Daikin, and Hitachi). In addition, he became one of the youngest executive officers ever in the centenary history of Panasonic Corporation.

On bidding farewell to his successor Tadashi Chiba, Sharma reminisced that the biggest thing he had done was to change the identity of Panasonic India — from a Japanese company in India to an Indian company with Japanese heritage.

He was not as quick to divulge his professional move, only saying that he would be announcing it around March–April and it would be "far bigger in scale and impact than what I have done so ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌far.”