New Delhi, April 19 (IANS): Chip maker Intel on Friday said that it appointed Santhosh Viswanathan to head the India region business as its Managing Director (MD).

In March, the company announced India as a separate region within its SMG (Sales, Marketing, and Communications Group) organisation, to capitalise on the country’s rapid?growth and business opportunities.

"Viswanathan, VP and MD-India region will lead?the newly formed region, leveraging his expertise to drive value and?customer-centricity," the company said.

Viswanathan holds an engineering degree in industrial engineering and management and a master's degree in business administration.

"By creating a separate region, we are enabling our teams, including our strong engineering base in India, to work closely with our customers," Viswanathan said in a statement.

The company also announced the appointment of a new SMG leader for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) region.

It appointed Hans Chuang as General Manager (GM) of?SMG Asia Pacific and Japan. He will be responsible for Intel’s overall business in the region, including driving revenue growth, engaging with the local ecosystem to create new opportunities, and strengthening existing customer and partner relationships.

"Leveraging the strength of our partners and continuing our commitment to building an open ecosystem that serves our customers in a transparent and secure manner is going to be key to our long-term success here in the APJ region,” said Chuang.

He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia and an MBA from McGill University.