Who is Karthik Narain? Google Cloud taps Accenture veteran as chief product & business officer

Google Cloud appointed Karthik Narain as its chief product & business officer. Narain will oversee product and engineering teams across cloud, developer, data, and Applied AI, as well as the go-to-market organization, while working closely with Google Public Sector.“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,” said Narain.“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. The opportunity to unlock immense value for Google Cloud’s customers and partners is unparalleled, and I can’t wait to get started!” he added to his statement on LinkedIn.

Who is Karthik Narain?

Karthik Narain joins Google Cloud from Accenture, where he served as Group Chief Executive of Technology, Chief Technology Officer, and Chair of the Board of Avanade. At Accenture, he led the company’s technology vision and strategy, overseeing the market-leading Cloud-First and Data & AI businesses. Narain’s expertise spans cloud, data & AI, security, enterprise and industry platforms, developer tools, and application & infrastructure engineering. He has led major cloud and AI-based modernization projects for Fortune 4000 companies across industries, as well as public sector entities worldwide. He holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Bharathidasan University in Tiruchirappalli. At Google Cloud, Narain is responsible for product development, global revenue, and go-to-market strategies.Narain’s appointment comes at a time of rapid growth for Google Cloud, which recently launched Gemini Enterprise, its AI-powered platform that has received strong customer response. CEO Sunder Pichai welcomed Narain, noting that he will partner closely with cloud customers to accelerate their AI transformation journeys. “I’m excited that Karthik Narain is joining Google Cloud as its Chief Product and Business Officer, a key leader on Thomas Kurian’s exceptional team. Karthik will partner closely with our Cloud customers as they transform their businesses with AI. 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!” said Pichai in a post on LinkedIn.Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian also highlighted Narain’s experience in developing enterprise technology solutions saying, “we welcome Karthik Narain to Google Cloud as Chief Product & Business Officer. He will lead product and engineering teams across cloud, developer, data and Applied AI, the go-to-market organization, and work closely with Google Public Sector. Karthik’s proven track record with clients, along with his unparalleled depth of experience in developing enterprise technology solutions will accelerate our customers’ journey into the AI era. Welcome to the team, Karthik!”