Salesforce India at forefront of AI revolution: CEO Arundhati Bhattacharya

The firm is witnessing a robust demand from traditional enterprises & companies from tier 2 & tier 3 cities to adopt new technologies: Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO Salesforce India

Tech giant Salesforce is in expansion mode in India.

The US-based company said it continued to drive growth in India, with an increasing number of firms investing in digital transformation and leveraging the innovation cycle propelled by generative artificial intelligence (AI).
 

The company is planning to expand its office presence in Bengaluru. It said it continued to hire in India for roles across technologies and products, sales, business support, etc.
 

“We find that demand in the country is robust,” said Arundhati Bhattacharya (pictured), chief executive officer and chairperson, Salesforce India, in an interview. “Because of the advent of generative AI, most of our companies (customers) are beginning to feel the need to leapfrog if they have not already been digitised completely. This is good for us.”
 

These also include traditional manufacturing companies and firms from Tier-2 and -3 cities.
 

“They are trying to find how they can use the newer and evolving technologies to serve their customers better and bring in more efficiencies and productivity,” said Bhattacharya.
 

Salesforce India’s revenue rose over 50 per cent to more than Rs 6,000.3 crore in the year-ended March 31 from the previous year, according to its regulatory filing with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs’ Registrar of Companies.
 

“India is a key market for Salesforce. We are fully focused on supporting India’s economic growth through our role as a trusted digital advisor to businesses up and down the country,” said Bhattacharya. “At the forefront of the AI revolution, we are also brilliantly positioned to deepen India’s reputation as a global tech leader.” 
 

Earlier this year, Salesforce announced expanding its flagship Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Hyderabad, reinforcing India as a leading talent, knowledge, and global innovation hub for the company. Salesforce has 10,000 employees in India, across sites in Hyderabad and Bengaluru, as well as Mumbai, Gurugram, Pune, and Jaipur.

“We are hiring consistently and across the board,” said Bhattacharya. “Our centres of excellence contribute not only to our products and research but also to a lot of support functions.”

However, the company didn’t reveal the number of people it planned to hire or the capital that it aimed to invest in the country.

Leading Indian businesses such as TVS Motor, Asian Paints, and Kotak Mahindra Bank are turning to Salesforce to help them create digital strategies.

Salesforce’s growth in India is also supported by an ecosystem of established strategic partners, startups, over 2 million Salesforce developers, and more users of Trailhead, Salesforce’s free online learning platform. 

“Salesforce is committed to investing in the region, unlocking local opportunities, and, in turn, helping to transform businesses globally,” said Bhattacharya. “I’ve no doubt that we will continue to deliver here. I look forward to the next phase of our exciting journey.”

This year, Salesforce made grants of $1.1 million to five non-government organisations in India -- Teach For India, TNS India Foundation, Youth for India Foundation, Malligavad Foundation, and Green Yatra. The grants focus on education, workforce development, climate justice, and community resilience.