Google names new MD for SEA and South Asia frontier markets

Google has appointed Nitin Gajria (pictured) as managing director for Southeast Asia and South Asia frontier markets, tasking him with leading the tech giant's commercial strategy across the region.

In his new role, Gajria will focus on helping businesses across the markets scale digitalisation and accelerate AI-led growth, as Google looks to deepen its presence in a region seeing growing adoption and interest in artificial intelligence.

Gajria brings more than 25 years of experience to the position and has spent over 12 years at Google. Most recently, he led Google's publisher partnerships business across Asia Pacific, where he spent the past three years scaling the company's publisher and creator monetisation business.

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Prior to that, he spent four years leading Google's investments across Sub-Saharan Africa. He has also previously led the company's large customer sales business across Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Before joining Google, Gajria held senior marketing and brand roles across Asia Pacific. He was regional marketing director for Enfa A+ at Mead Johnson Nutrition, overseeing the brand's innovation pipeline as well as its media, digital and CRM capabilities across the region.

He also spent more than 11 years at Procter & Gamble, holding a string of brand and business leadership roles across Singapore and Australia. His remit spanned brands including Olay, SK-II, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Ariel and Safeguard across markets in ASEAN, Australasia and India.

The appointment marks a return to Southeast Asia for Gajria, who began his Google career in the region 12-and-a-half years ago.

In a LinkedIn post announcing the move, Gajria described the appointment as a "full-circle moment", pointing to how much the region's digital ecosystem has evolved since he first joined the company.

"What excites me most isn't just the technology - it's what people in this region will do with it," he said, adding that he is looking forward to working with Google's employees, partners, developers and creators across the region.

His appointment comes as Google looks to capitalise on growing enthusiasm for AI across Southeast Asia. According to the company, active users of its Gemini app in the region have more than doubled over the past year, while consumer interest in AI is three times higher than the global average.

“Over the years, I have seen Southeast Asia and the South Asia frontier markets go from strength to strength and it’s clear that the diversity, dynamism, and entrepreneurial energy here remain unmatched," Gajria said. 

He added, "As AI unlocks new possibilities, the opportunity to accelerate our digital economies has never been greater – from democratising access to learning, helping local businesses scale, to enabling communities to solve distinct, real-world challenges. I’m excited to step into this role and partner closely with our teams, partners, and customers on-ground to help turn this momentum into shared, lasting progress for everyone." 

The appointment follows another regional leadership move at Google earlier this month, when the company elevated Sapna Chadha to vice president of Asia Pacific ads go-to-market strategy and operations after nearly four years leading its Southeast Asia and South Asia frontier business.

In her expanded role, Chadha leads go-to-market strategy and operations for Google's ads business across Asia Pacific, spanning business strategy, growth priorities, resource allocation, product commercialisation, sales operations and business intelligence.

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