LinkedIn appoints Kumaresh Pattabiraman as India Manager and Product Head

Microsoft-owned professional networking platform LinkedIn announced the appointment of Kumaresh Pattabiraman as its new India Manager and Product Head on August 23. This marks a significant leadership change in the country's fastest-growing market, with India emerging as a critical hub for LinkedIn's global operations.

Pattabiraman, a seasoned executive with over a decade of experience at LinkedIn, takes over the reins from Ashutosh Gupta, who left the company in April after an 11-year tenure. Gupta has since joined growth stage venture capital firm Avataar Venture Partners as an operating partner.

Pattabiraman's journey with LinkedIn began in July 2013, where he served as the group product manager for the search and discovery product team. Over the years, he has played a pivotal role in enhancing the platform's user experience, particularly through innovations in the Search and Feed features, as well as launching new products such as Profile Video and Career Breaks.

India, LinkedIn's second-largest market after the United States, boasts over 135 million members out of LinkedIn's global user base of over a billion. The platform reported over $15 billion in revenue for fiscal 2023, underscoring the importance of the Indian market to its overall growth strategy.

With over 15 years of experience in product and engineering roles, including a stint at Microsoft working on the Bing search engine, Pattabiraman brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role. Reflecting on his career trajectory, he noted the exceptional talent pool in India. "Having started my career as an engineer in Bengaluru and built teams in India across LinkedIn and Microsoft, I can say that the energy, ambition, and potential of Indian talent, especially in the R&D, are unparalleled," he shared on LinkedIn.

Pattabiraman also highlighted India's leadership in the burgeoning field of Artificial Intelligence (AI), noting that the country is among the top five globally for the fastest-growing AI talent. He pointed out that Indian LinkedIn members are using AI skills at three times the global average, positioning India as a key player in the future of work.

LinkedIn's focus on India is further developed by its recent product rollouts tailored to the market. In July, the platform introduced a vertical short-form video experience similar to Instagram Reels, targeting the rising demand for bite-sized content in India. This launch followed a 20 percent YoY increase in membership and engagement in the country, the highest growth-rate for LinkedIn worldwide.

In addition to video, LinkedIn ventured into gaming in May, introducing three puzzle games - PinPoint, Queens, and Crossclimb - available on its mobile app and website, as part of its efforts to diversify user engagement.