Once seen primarily as a support hub, India is now where global tech firms pilot innovation and build for scale. For Salesforce, the country is both a proving ground and a talent powerhouse, Arundhati Bhattacharya, president and chief executive, Salesforce – South Asia, told Urvi Malvania. She also points out that Indian enterprises, undeterred by global uncertainties, are doubling down on digital transformation. Excerpts.
For Salesforce, India is not just a growth market but also a talent hub. How do you see this balance evolving, especially as global IT services market witnesses demand shifts?
I believe this balance will continue, though the nature of work is evolving. Most of our solutions—whether developed in India or elsewhere—now embed AI at their core. This shift may change the kind of work we do, but not the volume. India will remain a key talent hub. Growth may come from areas like AI, machine learning, and compliance. We’re also building capabilities in ethical AI—some of our compliance hubs are based here—which is critical as AI adoption grows.
Are there any use cases specific to India that have gone global?
Scale and cost-effectiveness make India an important test bed for our global strategy. It’s hard to match the scale we manage here. If a solution works in India, it usually works anywhere. That’s why the market is often chosen to stress-test during Indian festivals—well ahead of global peaks like Black Friday. Indian customers are also very value-conscious, which pushes us to deliver high performance at lower costs.
India’s multilingualism adds another layer. Though voice in agentic AI isn’t fully live yet, we’re working on it. Local language support is essential, not just for India but also for Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Given today’s global uncertainties—whether related to trade or geopolitics—how are Indian enterprises approaching their tech budgets? And where does AI figure with enterprise tech budgets?
Interestingly, the uncertainty is reinforcing the need for digital transformation. Companies learned during Covid-19 pandemic that agility is essential. They don’t want to be caught off guard again. Whether it’s shifting supply chains, changing sales strategies, or adapting product lines, transformation is now a necessity. Most CEOs understand that agility is key in today’s volatile world.
AI is getting meaningful attention, particularly in areas tied to productivity and efficiency. The focus is on practical outcomes— doing things better, faster, and with greater data-driven insight.
How has the emergence of AI changed Salesforce’s go-to-market strategy in India?
At Salesforce, we are customer zero for the solutions we build and sell. Whether it’s lead scoring, summarising client conversations, or employee enablement, we apply AI across the chain to enhance efficiency and sharpen our go-to-market approach.
Where do you see the biggest friction when Indian enterprises try to move AI projects from pilot to production? Do you think the emergence of a dedicated AI leader within organisations can help address this?
One of the biggest challenges is the level of commitment from within the organisation. Successful AI adoption requires clear buy-in across teams, ideally driven from the top. If the belief in AI’s value isn’t communicated internally, implementation often stalls. If they’re not fully invested, it becomes an uphill battle. Wherever we’ve been able to work closely with the company and they’ve been fully committed, we’ve seen great success, regardless of company size or industry.
Having a dedicated AI leader is absolutely critical. These individuals act as internal champions. They articulate the value, drive execution, and ensure alignment across departments.