Microsoft hires former AWS executive to lead its Asia expansion
Microsoft has appointed former AWS executive Puneet Chandok as India and South Asia's new corporate vice president. Chandok will assume responsibilities from Anant Maheshwari starting September 1st as Microsoft aims to expand its regional presence.
Chandok will oversee integrating Microsoft's business operations in South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. He will focus on accelerating the adoption of technologies like generative AI while deepening engagements with key industries.
Chandok joins after leading AWS as president for India and South Asia during a period of growth. His experience driving cloud expansion could aid Microsoft's ambitions in the thriving market.
Microsoft views India as a pivotal growth opportunity driven by rising demand for cloud-based services. The company currently operates three cloud regions in India and is investing $1.96 billion into new data centres in Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is also extending its reach more broadly across Asia. Recent moves include announcing new cloud regions in Indonesia, Taiwan, and Malaysia.
However, Microsoft still trails AWS and Alibaba in total Asia-Pacific market share. Tapping Chandok's background at AWS may help close that gap by optimising regional cloud strategies.
AWS and Google Cloud have similarly invested billions into expanding operations across Asia recently. But Chinese providers like Alibaba are also growing increasingly competitive.
In some cases, Alibaba has slashed cloud costs substantially, undercutting American rivals' pricing by 20-40%. This intensifies the cloud battle throughout Asia.
Microsoft aims to capitalise on the opportunity as the South Asia cloud market is forecast to grow by 23% through 2026. Chandok's appointment aligns with this regional acceleration push.
His leadership experience navigating expansion and cloud competition in Asia will be invaluable for Microsoft. However, thriving in the complex market will still require winning enterprises' trust across cloud, AI, and emerging technologies.
While competition is fierce, collaboration also remains vital to advancing Asia's digital infrastructure. Microsoft's progress will depend on strategic partnerships and platforms that meet local needs.
With his mix of regional expertise and technical background, Chandok is well-positioned to help Microsoft balance competition and collaboration as it deepens engagement across Asia.
