NetApp Names Premalakshmi Ramakrishnan to Lead India and SAARC Operations

NetApp has appointed Premalakshmi Ramakrishnan as Area Vice President for India and the SAARC region, signalling a sharpened focus on one of its most strategically important growth markets. Based in Bengaluru, Premalakshmi will lead NetApp’s regional sales strategy, with an emphasis on deepening customer relationships and strengthening the partner ecosystem as enterprises scale data-intensive and AI-driven workloads.

India’s accelerating digital transformation, coupled with rising demand for intelligent data infrastructure, places the region at the center of NetApp’s long-term growth agenda. The appointment comes at a time when organisations are moving from experimentation to execution in cloud, data, and generative AI initiatives.

Andrew Sotiropoulos, Senior Vice President & General Manager, APAC, NetApp, said the leadership transition aligns with market realities: “As one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, India’s dynamic digital landscape and increasing demand for advanced data infrastructure make it a critical focus for NetApp’s expansion and innovation strategies.”

Driving Data Strategy in an AI-First Enterprise Era

Premalakshmi steps into the role with more than two decades of experience spanning enterprise technology, cloud infrastructure, and large-scale go-to-market execution. Most recently, she served as Vice President and Head of Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Business for India, where she led cloud adoption among large enterprises and regulated industries.

Her perspective reflects a growing shift among Indian enterprises—from digital transformation as a project to data infrastructure as a long-term capability.  “By 2027, Indian business executives will demand at least a 70% success rate from their digital transformation and GenAI initiatives,” said Premalakshmi Ramakrishnan, Area Vice President – India & SAARC, NetApp.

“Achieving this will require a robust data strategy and infrastructure capable of managing large-scale AI workloads and deployments.”

NetApp’s positioning around intelligent data infrastructure places it squarely in this conversation, particularly as enterprises seek consistency, governance, and resilience across hybrid and multi-cloud environments.

Experience Across Cloud, Infrastructure, and Enterprise Transformation

Before Oracle, Premalakshmi held senior leadership roles at Accenture, Cisco, and Schneider Electric (APC), building a cross-functional view of enterprise IT that spans consulting, networking, infrastructure, and services. That breadth is expected to play a role as NetApp works closely with partners and customers navigating AI readiness, data governance, and operational scale.

Under her leadership, NetApp aims to help organisations move beyond data storage toward platforms that actively support analytics, automation, and AI-driven decision-making without adding complexity.

Why This Appointment Matters for the Region

NetApp’s India and SAARC business sits at the intersection of cloud adoption, AI deployment, and regulatory expectations around data protection. As enterprises look to operationalise AI responsibly, infrastructure leaders increasingly influence business outcomes, not just IT efficiency.

With Premalakshmi at the helm, NetApp is reinforcing its intent to be a long-term data partner for enterprises seeking agility without lock-in and intelligence without fragmentation.