Puneet Chandok, the president of commercial business at Amazon Web Services (AWS) India and South Asia, has announced his decision to resign from his position. His resignation will take effect on August 31, 2023, as confirmed by AWS India. In a statement, the company expressed its gratitude for Chandok’s contributions and leadership over the past four years and wished him the best for his future endeavors.
To ensure a smooth transition, Vaishali Kasture, the head of enterprise, mid-market, and global businesses at AWS India and South Asia, will assume the role of interim leader of the commercial business with immediate effect.
During his tenure at AWS, Chandok worked closely with enterprises, digital businesses, startups, and SMBs to help them leverage cloud technology, reduce technical debt, and drive innovation. Prior to joining AWS, he held leadership positions at McKinsey & Co. and IBM Global Services, where he played a crucial role in developing relationships with enterprise clients, technology providers, and private equity firms.
Chandok’s departure comes at a time when AWS is witnessing significant adoption of cloud technology in India. Recently, AWS India announced plans to invest INR 1.056 Lakh Cr ($12.7 Bn) by 2030 to upgrade and expand its cloud infrastructure in the country to meet the growing demand. This investment is expected to create approximately 132,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs in various sectors, including construction, facility maintenance, engineering, and telecommunications.
It is worth noting that AWS has been facing a tax dispute with the Indian tax department over an alleged tax payment of INR 549 Cr related to fees earned from its cloud computing services. The Income Tax department raised a demand of INR 190.85 Cr for 2014-15 and INR 358.27 Cr for 2016-17. AWS has labeled the decision as baseless and intends to contest it.
