Google 'hero' Nishar to join LinkedIn

Chicago, Dec 12 (IANS) Dipchand Nishar, an Indian American engineer who helped Google start its mobile business, is joining the social networking group LinkedIn to help it develop new products and strategies.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at Kharagpur and the University of Illinois, Nishar was instrumental in developing Google's backend infrastructure and was also overseeing the Asia Pacific market.

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'The kinds of things LinkedIn is doing are truly shaping the way professionals work,' said 40-year-old Nishar, whose colleagues at Google have often described him as an 'unsung hero' of the company.

He said he wanted to leave Google because he wanted to move on from the role of building 'impactful products' to an 'impactful company'. He will be vice president of products at LinkedIn.

The Wall Street Journal also prominently covered his new appointment.

'We wanted to find someone who knows how to build a large organisation, but also has an entrepreneurial background,' said Kay Luo, a spokesperson for the company, adding: 'Deep fills that role.'

Prior to Google, Nishar worked for Siebel System, which he joined after he sold Pataki Networks, a web-based software integration services company, which he had founded. He was also associated with the Boston Consulting Group.

'We are grateful for Deep's contributions over the last five and a half years, and wish him well in his new job,' said Jane Penner, a spokeswoman at Google.

Backed by companies like Goldman Sachs, LinkedIn, which recently raised over $75 million in fresh funding, is adding some 500,000 new members to its social networking site every week.

It has some 30 million users who use it to connect with friends, classmates, business associates and colleagues.