SAP India president Das passes away

Ranjan Das, president, SAP India, died of a heart attack on Wednesday. He was 42. Das had been with SAP for over eight years and moved to Mumbai in 2007 after taking over as Head of SAP India.

Born and raised in India, Das received a scholarship to study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Engineering. He then went on to attain an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Das was a seasoned entrepreneurial technology executive with over 15 years of experience in both global and start-up software companies. Das was among the few who were responsible for making India one of the company's fastest growing regions. Last year the firm announced that SAP India was the jewel in the crown of SAP worldwide.

Das also co-founded SAP xApps and established it into one of the fastest growing businesses for the company. He also assumed the lead role in integrating the sales model and resources from acquired companies, including Virsa, Lighthammer and Frictionless Commerce, into SAP.

The Indian sub continent is one of SAP's fastest growing markets worldwide. With over 1,800 customers (400+ in 2007, 498 in 2006) and a stated target of scaling that to 15,000 by 2010, the region is key to SAP's worldwide growth.

In an official statement the company said: "SAP is deeply saddened by the news that our colleague Ranjan Das has passed away suddenly today. This comes as a great shock to all of us within the SAP family and is felt most profoundly by every one of us. We will be sharing more information once we have had the opportunity to further understand the family's wishes."