Who Is Karthik Narain? Ex-Accenture CTO Now Google Cloud’s Chief Product & Business Officer

Google has announced the appointment of Indian-origin tech veteran Karthik Narain as its new Chief Product and Business Officer for Google Cloud. Karthik, the former Chief Technology Officer at Accenture, will lead product and engineering teams across cloud, developer tools, data and Applied AI, as well as the go-to-market organisation for Google.

“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!” Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian announced his arrival on LinkedIn.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai also welcomed Narain, noting that he will help accelerate strong growth at Google Cloud. On his appointment, Narain said, “I’m excited to combine my expertise in engineering and product strategy, along with my experience in enterprise systems and business processes, with Google’s world-class foundational technologies and cutting-edge innovations…”

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Narain holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from Tiruchirappalli-based Bharathidasan University.

In his new role, Narain will lead Google Cloud’s cloud, developer, data and AI platforms as well as its business teams. In this capacity, he will be responsible for product development, global revenue and go-to-market motions, providing end-to-end leadership from product innovation through global market execution, according to Narain’s LinkedIn profile.

The seasoned tech expert joined Google Cloud from Accenture, where he held multiple leadership roles. He was associated with the company for over 10 years and served as its Group Chief Executive of Technology, Chief Technology Officer and Chair of the Board of Avanade.

Narain also led Accenture’s Cloud-First and Data and AI businesses. His expertise covers cloud, data and AI, security, enterprise platforms, developer tools and application and infrastructure engineering.

Over his career, he has driven significant cloud and AI modernisation projects for more than 4,000 companies across various industries, according to LinkedIn. Narain started his career with Infosys in June 2000. Before joining Accenture, he was also associated with HCL Technologies.