Microsoft has announced the appointment of Puneet Chandok as Corporate Vice President to oversee operations in India and South Asia, effective from September 1, 2023. He succeeds Anant Maheshwari, who resigned from the company earlier this month. 

In his new role, Chandok will lead the integration of Microsoft's businesses in South Asia, encompassing Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. This move aims to strengthen the company's presence in the region while prioritising key industries through a customer-centric approach with generative AI at the core.

In his previous roles, Puneet led Amazon Web Services (AWS) India as President, and AWS South Asia as Vice-President for nearly five years. He collaborated with enterprises, digital businesses, startups, and SMBs closely to help them reduce technical debt, bring agility, and innovate. Prior to this role, he acted as Partner for McKinsey in India and Asia and held Deputy-General Manager APAC for IBM.

Academically, Chandok holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, a bachelor's degree in commerce, and diplomas in Computer Programming, Networking, and High-level Computer Systems.

Ahmed Mazhari, President of Microsoft Asia welcomed Chandok to the leadership board stating, “We are delighted to announce that Puneet will be joining Microsoft India. Puneet has a strong track record of building and growing technology businesses and leveraging technology to deliver impact and change. As we embrace an AI-led future, Puneet’s leadership will play a vital role in ensuring Microsoft’s ongoing success in South Asia, and I extend my thanks to Anant Maheshwari for setting us on a growth path.”

Chandok responded, “I am inspired by Microsoft’s mission to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As India expands its own digital public infrastructure, I believe that this mission is more relevant here than ever before, and I am thrilled to be joining the One Microsoft team to make this mission a reality.”

Maheswari, who is in offboarding process at the software company said, “It has been a privilege to participate in Microsoft India’s remarkable growth over the last seven years. I am filled with gratitude for an exceptionally talented team with a strong set of leaders driving this momentum. The Microsoft India team has created a strong foundation of trust and entrepreneurial business models.”