Salesforce has tapped Arundhati Bhattacharya as its new CEO to lead operations in India. Arundhati will join Salesforce India as its new India Chairman and CEO. A retired banker with tons of experience in mitigating high-risk portfolios, Arundhati Bhattacharya led The State Bank of India through the demonetization phase in India. In a career as a banker that spanned over 40 years, the new Salesforce India CEO will leverage her recent experiences with Fintech and Digital Transformations for various diverse industries that currently use CRMs. Banking, airlines, manufacturing, real estate and e-commerce are readymade markets for Salesforce to sell its Commerce Clouds.

Who is Arundhati Bhattacharya?

Listed in 2016 among the “Top 25 Powerful Women in the World” by Forbes, Arundhati Bhattacharya is a force to reckon with and a leader with umpteen number of achievements in her Hall of Fame. She led the State Bank of India through torrid times to make it one of the foremost fintech-focused institutions in the world. She has been involved with the launch of several new businesses such as SBI General Insurance, SBI Custodial Services, SBI Pension Funds Pvt. Ltd. and the SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Fund. 

Salesforce provides an array of cloud storage and digital services to clients in India, which it sees as a one of its fastest growing regions https://t.co/OV43GUNdoQ

— Moneycontrol (@moneycontrolcom) March 17, 2020

For those who want to know about the SBI– it traces its roots to 1806. Post-Independence, the SBI has come to the rescue of many banks, acquiring assets and manpower at the behest of the Indian government and the Reserve Bank of India.

Salesforce India

A popular online business publication first broke the news about Arundhati Bhattacharya’s new endeavor. With 3 acquisitions in 2020, Salesforce has stamped its authority as a flag-bearer in the martech and AI innovations, enabling users with cutting-edge tools to meet omnichannel goals.

In India, Salesforce could further penetrate the marketing technology customer base by bringing connected CRM experience to local businesses. It could also 

Gavin Patterson, President and CEO, Salesforce International said – “India is an important growth market for Salesforce and a world-class innovation and talent hub and Arundhati’s leadership will guide our next phase of growth, customer success and investment in the region.”

We wouldn’t be surprised if Salesforce India starts acquiring Indian Fintech startup, and acquires unique customers from the BFSI, healthcare, airlines and other service-centric industries. Indian government agencies could also become potential customers, considering Salesforce GovTech platforms have been directly linked to many Smart City initiatives. For a country like India, Salesforce India’s Operational expansion could usher new opportunities in the coming months.

We will bring the latest update on Salesforce news across regions.

Salesforce India will receive its Chairman and CEO on April 20. Arundhati will report to Ulrik Nehammer, General Manager APAC- Salesforce.