Harish Krishnan

Critic
DISC Type : C

Managing Director Cisco India & ASEAN at Cisco

Greater Delhi Area, India

Overview

Harish Krishnan is the Managing Director and Chief Policy Officer for Cisco India & ASEAN, with over 30 years of experience in technology and public policy. He leads strategic engagement with governments and also heads Cisco Indias Purpose Office, which focuses on social initiatives. He holds a Masters degree from the University of Madras.

Harish is deeply involved in corporate social responsibility, viewing it as a personal passion and essential for societal connection. He is passionate about using technology and innovation as a force for good, focusing on themes like education, economic empowerment, and critical human needs. He enjoys applying technology to solve everyday problems.

He is the co-founder and past President of the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI), established to professionalize public affairs.

Personality Overview

Critic

ROI Driven

Negotiator

Unless the value is proven by data, they are unlikely to value fancy features.  It is very likely that they will negotiate pricing or other important terms. They prefer to do logical analysis and value evidence over emotions.

Topics They Care About

Tech Policy & Public Affairs
With over 30 years of experience, he leads Cisco's engagement with governments in India & ASEAN and co-founded the Public Affairs Forum of India (PAFI).
Corporate Social Responsibility
Heads Cisco's Purpose Office, which has impacted 50 million lives. He considers CSR a personal passion and a way to connect with society on a deeper level.
Innovation for Impact
Believes CSR funding is a form of risk capital that should be used to support innovative, tech-based solutions for large-scale social problems in India.

Media Appearances

Innovation with Cisco ft. Harish Krishnan. Featured in Spotify (CSR Partnerships for Innovation)

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Cisco India MD reflects on how tech innovation is ushering in a .... Featured in CNBC TV18

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How Cisco India Helped 50 Million People Connect to New Opportunities. Featured in 3BL Media

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Work History

3-2025
Managing Director Cisco India & ASEAN at Cisco
5-2007 - 3-2025
Executive Director, Public Affairs & Strategic Engagement at Cisco
2-2017 - 3-2025
Managing Director Public Affairs &Strategic Engagements at Cisco Systems India & SAARC
10-2003 - 5-2007
Senior Governmental Program Professional at IBM India
1-1992 - 10-2003
Director - IT at Confederation of Indian Industry

Education

1987 - 1990
Master's degree from University of Madras
1984 - 1987
Bachelor's degree from Govt.Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 33 Location : Greater Delhi Area, India Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Managing Director Cisco India & ASEAN at Cisco
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Insights For Selling To Harish

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Don’t forget to mention how you compare to competition on both features and pricing
  • Be formal and objective, they will appreciate it more
  • Keep some extra margin while sharing pricing, they are likely to negotiate later

DONT's

  • Don’t try to give too many examples of other users, they like to make their own decisions
  • Do not use very emotional or colorful language
  • Don’t try too hard to build a relationship with them

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Harish is

  • Strong evidence of ROI, effective pricing, and proven data points matter the most to them.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Harish

  • It is not very hard for them to say no if they are not convinced about the decision.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Harish move?

  • Their decision-making is neither very fast nor very slow, they are somewhere in between.
  • Can Harish take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks if their analysis shows that it would be worth it.

You And Harish

Personality Compatibility


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