ADVERTISEMENT
On January 16, Irina Ghose, the former Managing Director of Microsoft India, was appointed Managing Director for Anthropic India as the AI company prepares to open its first office in the country.
With over three decades of experience scaling technology businesses, Ghose brings a wealth of expertise to her new role. During her tenure at Microsoft India, she led the adoption of enterprise AI across key industries such as banking and financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and government. She built high-impact teams, established strategic ecosystem partnerships, and championed future-ready capabilities across India's tech landscape, with a strong focus on using technology to drive meaningful business and societal change.
Reflecting on her new role, Ghose shared, “India has a real opportunity to shape how AI is built and deployed at scale.”
She further added, “Indian organizations are moving beyond experimentation toward applied AI, where trust, safety, and long-term impact matter as much as innovation. Anthropic’s mission resonates with my belief that technology should empower people, expand access, and create lasting value across India’s diverse languages and communities.”
Ghose's Journey: From Tata Steel to Microsoft and Beyond
Ghose's career began at Tata Steel, where she served as a Program Manager in the export-oriented unit for large bid management of engineering equipment. She then transitioned to HCL Infosystems, where she held multiple roles, including Regional Channel Manager for PC sales targeting small and medium businesses. Later, she was elevated to Business Manager for Corporate Sales, responsible for the Toshiba range of products and associated HCL software and services.
Read More: Preeti Lobana, Irina Ghose, Sandhya Devanathan: Women Driving India’s Big Tech Revolution
She further honed her skills at Wipro Infotech as a Business Consultant in the eBusiness Solutions division. In 2006, she joined Microsoft as Regional Partner Alliance Manager, gradually climbing the ranks to ultimately become Managing Director.
As Microsoft's Executive Director for Cloud Solutions in India, Ghose spearheaded the empowerment of Cloud adoption and digital transformation. She engaged with customers and partners to architect their digital growth strategies, overseeing diverse capabilities across Microsoft's six solution areas: Azure Infrastructure, Azure Data & Artificial Intelligence, Azure Applications, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and Security Solutions, along with Lifetime Support Offerings.
Additionally, Ghose led the India Microsoft Technology Center, a state-of-the-art experience hub offering customers access to cutting-edge technologies and world-class expertise.
Now, as Managing Director at Anthropic, Ghose is poised to bring her extensive experience in scaling technology solutions and driving AI innovation to one of the world’s most dynamic markets.