In a significant move that underscores the fierce competition in the cloud services arena, Vaishali Kasture, former interim country head of Amazon Web Services (AWS), has joined Microsoft.
As the Small, Medium & Corporate (SMC) lead for India and South Asia, Vaishali will play a pivotal role in shaping Microsoft’s cloud business strategy.
Her appointment marks the second high-profile executive transition from AWS to Microsoft within the last year, highlighting the intense battle for market share in India’s rapidly growing cloud ecosystem.
Defining the Role at Microsoft: SMC Lead
As the SMC lead, Vaishali will be at the forefront of India’s digital transformation journey. Her responsibilities include:
Crafting Strategy: Vaishali will shape Microsoft’s approach to serving small, medium, and corporate clients. This involves tailoring solutions to meet diverse business needs.
Building Alliances: She will collaborate with partners, aggregators, and industry stakeholders to drive adoption and growth.
Empowering Enterprises: Vaishali’s role extends beyond technology. She will empower businesses to leverage cloud services effectively, enhancing productivity and competitiveness.
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Vaishali Kasture: A Seasoned Leader
Vaishali Kasture brings over 25 years of experience in banking, financial services, and technology. Her expertise spans sales, operations excellence, digitization, automation, and cloud sales.
During her tenure at AWS, Kasture led the Independent Software Vendors (ISV) segment and successfully navigated the complexities of India’s cloud market.
Her predecessor at AWS, Puneet Chandok made the announcement internally on September 2 in an email, “I am delighted to welcome Vaishali Kasture as the SMC lead for India and South Asia.”
“SMC is at the heart of India’s digital transformation journey and Vaishali joins us at a pivotal moment as we build Al for everyone and copilot India & South Asia’s Al transformation”, the email read.
Puneet Chandok’s Precedent
Vaishali follows in the footsteps of Puneet Chandok, her predecessor at AWS. Puneet made a similar transition to Microsoft India and South Asia in September last year.
His successful leadership demonstrated the value of cross-industry expertise and the ability to navigate complex markets.
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“India is not just incredible, it’s unstoppable. It is our time to shine. AI is a massive platform shift, it’s a defining technology shift for a lifetime,” Chandok said in January this year, days before Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella visited India.
The impact it will have on our lives are incredible and finally, you’ll get to use co-pilot integrated with your emails, Word doc and more,” he added.
Strategic Move by Microsoft
Microsoft’s decision to onboard Vaishali reflects its commitment to expanding its footprint in India and South Asia. As the cloud adoption landscape evolves, India remains a key focus market.
The country’s early-stage digitization journey, especially among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), presents immense growth opportunities for cloud service providers.
Microsoft’s investment in new data centers and its ambitious plans for the region underscore its confidence in India’s potential.
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