Sashikumar Sreedharan has been appointed as the new Managing Director of Google Cloud India, succeeding Bikram Singh Bedi. This leadership change comes as Google Cloud aims to strengthen its position in the rapidly expanding Indian market, with a focus on AI-driven solutions and digital transformation. Bedi, who led Google Cloud India for over four years, will now take on strategic initiatives within Google Cloud's Asia Pacific (APAC) region.
Sreedharan brings over three decades of experience in the technology industry to his new role. Before joining Google Cloud in September 2023 as Chief Operating Officer for APAC, based in Bengaluru, he held leadership positions at Microsoft India, SAP, and IBM. As Managing Director, Sreedharan will lead Google Cloud's go-to-market strategy in India, working with enterprise and digital native customers, partners, and the developer ecosystem to build AI-first solutions. His responsibilities include scaling Google Cloud's enterprise business and supporting India's growing developer ecosystem.
Google Cloud is strategically focusing on India, recognizing its importance as one of the fastest-growing markets globally. The company is significantly expanding its AI infrastructure in India, with plans to locally host advanced models and deploy its complete AI stack. This includes the Vertex AI development platform, Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), and pre-built agents for support, analytics, and security. The Gemini 1.5 Flash model is already hosted in India, with more advanced versions like Gemini 2.5 Flash expected soon. Local hosting aims to provide Indian enterprises and developers with lower latency, better performance, and enhanced data sovereignty.
Google Cloud is also collaborating with the Indian government on the ₹10,000 crore (approximately $1.2 billion USD) IndiaAI Mission, which offers subsidized compute infrastructure to startups and researchers. The company is partnering to host the iGOT Karmayogi platform, which uses AI to deliver personalized learning to civil servants. Google Cloud operates from two Indian regions, Mumbai and Delhi NCR, with the latter focusing on regulated sectors, including government services.
Sreedharan expressed his enthusiasm for his new role, stating, "My time as COO for APAC has deeply affirmed my belief in Google Cloud's winning strategy and powerful AI-first platform. I am excited to return to the field and to work with our customers to advance their innovation agenda". Karan Bajwa, President of Google Cloud Asia Pacific, expressed confidence in Sreedharan's leadership, stating that Google Cloud is uniquely positioned to partner with Indian businesses and the public sector to harness AI's transformative power.
Google Cloud has a diverse client roster in India, including HDFC Bank, ICICI Prudential, Flipkart, Meesho, Myntra, Apollo 24/7, Tech Mahindra, and Wipro, as well as public sector entities like the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) and the Uttar Pradesh government. The company aims to deepen its engagement with government agencies and is working with the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for the Bhashini local language repository project. This collaboration includes a center of excellence dedicated to generative AI and language inclusivity and aims to train over one million students and professionals with generative AI skills.
With Sreedharan at the helm, Google Cloud is poised to further expand its presence in India's dynamic market, driving AI-led innovation and supporting the country's digital transformation.
