Canon Middle East (CME), a provider of imaging technologies and services has announced the appointment of Venkatasubramanian (Subbu) Hariharan as Managing Director, Canon Middle East and Turkey (CMET) effective from 1st July 2021.
Hariharan has twenty-seven years of industry experience, with fifteen years of experience at Canon Middle East. He was previously the B2C Business Unit Director, where he was instrumental in securing a leadership position for CME across the GCC market through successful channel and country expansions, streamlining operations to improve organizational effectiveness and implementing new business focused approaches, to build up the company from a shipping company to the strong B2C organization of today.
In his new role as Managing Director, Hariharan will oversee the immediate post-pandemic transition, business recovery plans and Canon Turkey integration, as well as focus on long-term goals of geographical expansion into key markets, driving the customer and people focused agenda, product diversification and strengthened digital transformation, with a commitment to Canon’s philosophy of Kyosei: a dedication to working and living together for the common good.
“As we work to rebuild ties and reinvigorate the economy in a post pandemic era, I am cognizant of the tremendous responsibility we have to our employees, partners and customers and the importance now, more than ever, of following the true spirit of the Kyosei philosophy. It’s a great privilege to have the opportunity to lead the CME team and I come into this role with a commitment and promise that we will continue to reimagine our business in ways that will always, best serve our customers,” said Venkatasubramanian (Subbu) Hariharan, Managing Director of Canon Middle East and Turkey.
The outgoing Managing Director of Canon, Anurag Agrawal commented, “After two decades at Canon, the decision to retire was not easy, but I wanted to spend more time with my family, and thus will be moving back to Canada. It has been an honor to see the growth and impact that we have had, from a small representative’s office on Sheikh Zayed road to becoming a leading player in the Middle East. I have no doubt that under Subbu’s leadership, Canon will go from strength to strength and he will craft a new path that will ensure a smooth post-Pandemic recovery and underscore our long-term customer-focused agenda.
Agrawal has been Managing Director since 2010 and was instrumental in setting the roadmap for CME’s success within the GCC. He is credited with laying a solid business foundation and implementing key management practices that have paved the way for CME to move into the next phase of its development, including a direct presence in key markets and achieving closer customer engagement and retention. His unique blend of experience, sound judgement and strong ability to construct creative solutions has been a driving factor in cultivating a lasting legacy.
