Mumbai: The UK-based education and publishing firm Pearson on Monday announced the appointment of Siddharth Banerjee as the new managing director (MD) for India and Asia, with effect from 6 July. He will be responsible for strengthening Pearson’s direct-to-consumer (D2C) strategy and digital proposition in the region while building a direct relationship with the education ecosystem in the region.

Siddharth will be moving from Games24x7, a gaming company where he served as chief revenue and marketing officer. Over his career spanning 21 years, he has previously helmed senior-level positions at organisations like Facebook, Vodafone, and Unilever.

“We are delighted to appoint Siddharth as our new Managing Director for Pearson in India and Asia," Pearson's global president-higher education, Tim Bozik said. "India is a key strategic market for Pearson and we are confident that his vast experience will be valuable as Pearson strengthens its focus on constructing a vibrant digital education ecosystem."

Commenting on his appointment, the new MD said, “These are exciting times for the education sector in India and Asia and I look forward to working with my team in transforming the region's focus as a digital-first company. There is a huge opportunity for us to contribute to the emerging and evolving digital Indian education landscape and we have a job cut out for ourselves and I along with my team will leverage our strengths that are in line with the rise in online and digital learning, as well as addressing the workforce skills gap across the emerging economies in Asia."

An alumnus of La Martiniere College, Lucknow, Siddharth has earned his MBA from FMS- Delhi and coupled it with executive education from ISB-Hyderabad, IIM-Ahmedabad, and the Harvard Business School. He has also been a Chevening Scholar at the University of Oxford and a best-selling author.