Salesforce ropes in top Intuit exec as new India managing director

Global customer relationship management (CRM) giant Salesforce has appointed Sanket Atal as its new senior vice president and managing director for India.  

As per Atal’s active LinkedIn profile, he is currently the vice president and managing director of Intuit, a role he served for nearly three years. The software company’s website too lists him in the aforementioned leadership positions. 

Atal is expected to take on his new roles at Salesforce from March 15, according to a statement. He will drive the next phase of growth in India and be responsible for design thinking and digital strategies in its operations, the statement said. 

India currently houses Salesforce’s second highest workforce outside the US, with over 4,000 employees. The company said that it has significantly invested in India in the past few years to cater to its expanding customer base. 

“As we continue to grow and guide our customers through their digital transformation journey, Sanket’s appointment is a reflection of our commitment and continued investment in India,” Arundhati Bhattacharya, CEO and chairperson of Salesforce India, said. 

Atal will report directly to Bhattacharya, the statement said. 

Atal is an alumnus of the University of Oregon, where he completed his MBA. He also holds an MSc in computer science from the University of Wisconsin and a degree from Cornell University.  

He was also the group vice president at Oracle. As per his LinkedIn profile, he was Oracle’s vice president of R&D at India’s development centre for 14 years between 1996 and 2010. He has served as the CTO of MakeMyTrip, and the senior vice president and general manager of the India technology centre at CA Technologies.