Arundhati Bhattacharya, a former banker, has seamlessly transitioned into her role as a digital transformation evangelist at Salesforce India, the world’s largest on-cloud CRM company. Taking charge during the pandemic, she has driven significant growth in one of the world’s most dynamic markets. Under her leadership, Salesforce India achieved 50% YoY revenue growth, reaching ₹6,000 crore in FY23. The employee count has surged to over 10,000.
Bhattacharya’s career began at State Bank of India (SBI), where she became the first woman chairperson in the bank’s 200-year history. She led initiatives such as YONO digital bank, modernising operations and customer service. This experience laid a foundation for her role at Salesforce, where digital transformation is central to the company’s existence.
“The evangelisation of Cloud will continue, whether we grow very fast or not. It’s not only true for us, but even for established companies adopting Cloud solutions. They have to evangelise just as well because traditional solutions are no longer feasible,” says Bhattacharya. At Salesforce, she has forged partnerships with Indian enterprises, start-ups, and the public sector, driving Cloud-based solution across industries. Her initiatives are helping businesses streamline processes, improve efficiency, and foster innovation, aligning with the Centre’s digital economy push. — V. Keshavdev