The Wadhwani Foundation has announced the appointment of Meetul Patel as president - Wadhwani Entrepreneur. 

Patel will head the Wadhwani Foundation’s initiatives focused on building entrepreneurship ecosystems and accelerating the growth of small businesses. 

“This is a strategic appointment in line with the Foundation’s growing global footprint across Asia, Africa and Latin America and is aimed at strengthening and scaling the Foundation’s mission of creating high-quality jobs and improving the lives of millions,” the Foundation said in a statement.

Patel last served as Microsoft India’s lead for strategic growth, responsible for developing strategic partnerships and new platforms to bring the benefits of technology to previously unreached markets. 

Prior to this role, he served as Microsoft India’s COO and oversaw business and product planning, marketing, and sales operations for Microsoft’s India subsidiary. He was responsible for defining strategy, managing investments, and orchestrating the organisation to ensure the growth of the transforming Microsoft portfolio across enterprise, public sector, small business, consumer, and partner segments.

“Patel appointment will further shore up the highly skilled and experienced global management team at the Foundation by bringing his experience in leveraging ecosystems, technology platforms, and global perspective to scale the Foundation’s initiatives,” the statement said.

“I am excited about working with the Wadhwani Foundation team to democratise access to the resources needed to spark entrepreneurship in students, enable entrepreneurs in their journey to build new ventures, and support established small businesses in their efforts to accelerate growth. And through their collective success, generate the jobs needed to help improve the lives of millions living on the edge of sustenance,” said Patel.

“Despite the tremendous development we have seen around the world in the last few decades, a large proportion of families still struggle to maintain decent living standards. Achieving shared prosperity requires the creation of family-sustaining jobs for millions of job seekers across the global south. Small businesses hold the greatest potential to create these jobs through their accelerated growth, and entrepreneurs hold the potential to develop innovative solutions to empower individuals and provide the affordable and sustainable products they need,” he added.

Wadhwani Foundation was founded in 2000 by Romesh Wadhwani to accelerate job creation in India and other emerging economies through large-scale initiatives in entrepreneurship, small business growth, innovation, and skilling. It operates in multiple countries across South East Asia, East Africa, Southern Africa, Egypt, and Latin America and works in partnership with governments, foundations, corporations, and educational institutes.