Brands
Nemetschek appoints Alok Sharma as managing director and vice president for India
Veteran software leader to drive India strategy and enterprise growth
MUMBAI: Nemetschek Group has appointed Alok Sharma as managing director and vice president for India, underscoring the company’s ambitions in one of the world’s fastest-growing construction markets.
The appointment comes as India accelerates investment in infrastructure, urban development and public sector modernisation, with digital tools increasingly central to efficiency, compliance and lifecycle management across construction projects.
Based in Mumbai, Sharma will lead Nemetschek’s India growth strategy. This strategy will focus on deeper enterprise and government engagement, expanding the local partner ecosystem and accelerating the shift towards subscription and SaaS-led digital construction models. A key priority will be scaling building information modelling (BIM) adoption across infrastructure and real estate projects.
Sharma brings over 30 years of experience building and scaling software businesses across India and the Saarc region, with a strong focus on the architecture, engineering, construction and operations sectors. His background includes leading large enterprise deals, driving public sector engagements and guiding transitions from perpetual licensing to cloud-based delivery.
Commenting on the appointment, Nemetschek Group senior vice president Pete Nicholson, said India is a critical market as digital mandates gather pace across the construction industry.
Sharma said India’s built environment is entering a decisive phase of digital transformation, creating a strong opportunity to expand BIM and advanced digital workflows across both public and private sector projects.
The appointment signals Nemetschek’s intent to consolidate its India operations and align its multi-brand technology portfolio with the country’s expanding digital construction ambitions.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
