Salesforce restructures ops in South Asia; appoints Arundhati Bhattacharya as CEO of South Asia operating unit
Arun Kumar Parameswaran, the managing director for Salesforce India’s sales division, will oversee the Asean sales leadership team.
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Salesforce has announced a significant restructuring of its operations in India and Southeast Asia (ASEAN). As part of the new organizational changes, Arundhati Bhattacharya, the current CEO and chairperson of Salesforce India, will take on the role of CEO for the newly formed South Asia Operating Unit, effective February 1.
As per the reports, this new structure will encompass Salesforce’s markets in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. The aim is to streamline operations and drive growth by consolidating these regions under one leadership team.
Arun Kumar Parameswaran, the managing director for Salesforce India’s sales division, will oversee the Asean sales leadership team. He will continue to report directly to Bhattacharya. Despite this broader role, Bhattacharya will remain based in India, a strategic location from which she will continue to drive Salesforce’s regional growth.
In a statement to Economic Times, Bhattacharya highlighted the synergies between the countries in the South Asia and ASEAN regions, noting the potential for collaboration. "We see the entire region as a growth region, and we are trying to ensure that we are able to come together, because there are a lot of synergies in the nations in this particular area," she said.
The goal of this restructuring is to replicate Salesforce’s success in India in other ASEAN markets. India has been a key growth driver for Salesforce, with the company achieving a $1 billion revenue milestone in the 2023-24 financial year, marking a 36% growth from the previous year. Bhattacharya emphasized that the company intends to set ambitious goals for growth in this larger operating unit, drawing on the best practices and insights from India to fuel success in ASEAN markets.
As part of its expansion strategy, Salesforce is also focusing on localizing its products and services to meet the unique needs of each market. Bhattacharya stressed the importance of data localization and country-specific features for expansion.
Salesforce has been growing its presence in ASEAN over recent years, with offices in Singapore since 2004, Thailand since 2021, and Indonesia since 2023.
