Pawan Davuluri, an IIT Madras alumnus, has taken over as the new head of Microsoft Windows and Surface. His appointment is yet another example of an Indian professional heading a leading US tech company.

Previously, Davuluri managed the Surface Silicon functions, while Mikhail Parakhin headed the Windows division. However, with Parakhin moving into new roles, Davuluri now oversees both Windows and Surface. A graduate of the prestigious IIT Madras, Davuluri's rise to the position underscores his Indian heritage. His appointment adds to the list of Indian executives heading tech giants in the US that includes the likes of Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Satya Nadella.

With over 23 years of tenure at Microsoft, Davuluri's journey began after his post-graduation from the University of Maryland, where he joined as a Reliability Component Manager. Rajesh Jha, in a memo to the team, described the organizational changes in the Windows, Web Experience (WWE) team after the establishment of the Microsoft AI organization. Under the leadership of Kevin Scott, Mikhail Parakhin moved into new responsibilities. Now, with the integration of Windows Experience and Windows + Devices into the Experience + Devices (E+D) division, Davuluri, who heads the AI division, is set to develop systems and experiential devices. Shilpa Ranganathan and Jeff Johnson will report directly to Davuluri.