In one of Google’s recent high-profile hirings, the Cloud division has appointed Karthik Narain as its first-ever Chief Product and Business Officer. Narain, who was the former Chief Technology Officer at Accenture, will now lead the product and engineering team across the cloud division. Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian made the announcement on LinkedIn.
Kurian shared the news via a LinkedIn post, highlighting Narain’s impressive track record in the enterprise technology space. “Karthik will lead product and engineering teams across cloud, developer, data, and Applied AI, the go-to-market organisation, and work closely with Google Public Sector,” Kurian wrote.
He also stated that Narain’s deep experience in developing enterprise technology solutions will be key to speeding up customers’ journeys into the AI era.
Sundar Pichai welcomes Karthik Narain
Google CEO Sundar Pichai also personally welcomed Narain, highlighting his role in shaping Google Cloud’s continued growth trajectory. Pichai said that Narain will “partner closely with our Cloud customers as they transform their businesses with AI,” adding the positive response to products like Gemini Enterprise.
“In his new role, Karthik will help accelerate the strong growth we are already seeing in Google Cloud. Just over a week ago, we announced Gemini Enterprise, which has had a really positive response. Much more to come, welcome Karthik!” wrote Pichai
Narain also expressed his excitement for the new challenge in a LinkedIn post, stating “After more than 25 years in the tech consulting industry, I am excited to share the next chapter of my career – I am joining @GoogleCloud as its first Chief Product & Business Officer. This is an incredible opportunity to combine my expertise in engineering and product strategy, and my experience with enterprise systems and business processes with Google’s world-class foundational technologies and cutting-edge AI innovation to drive profound digital transformation.”
Karthik Narain: A brief career history
Prior to joining Google, Narain served as Accenture’s CTO, and previously held the title of Group Executive – Technology.
His earlier career stint includes a decade-long tenure at HCLTech, where he served as Vice President and Vertical Head for High Tech, Software & Platforms, and Automotive divisions between 2005 and 2015.
Narain holds a Master’s degree in Computer Systems and Business from Bharathidasan University in Tiruchirappalli.
