Google has appointed Nitin Gajria as Managing Director for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier Markets, bringing the veteran Google executive back to the region where he began his career with the company more than 12 years ago.
In his new role, Gajria will lead Google’s regional growth strategy, commercial partnerships and developer and creator ecosystems across the markets. His mandate will include supporting digitalisation and AI-led growth across emerging economies in the region.
Gajria moves into the role from his position as Managing Director, Partnerships, Asia Pacific, which he has held since 2023. In that role, he led publisher and creator partnerships as well as the region’s monetisation business.
His tenure at Google has included several regional leadership roles. From 2019 to 2023, he served as Managing Director for Sub-Saharan Africa. Earlier, between 2016 and 2019, he led the company’s large customer sales business across Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.
Gajria began his career at Google in Singapore as Head of Brand Solutions for India and Southeast Asia, working across brand advertising and content solutions for YouTube and Google’s digital advertising technology.
His appointment comes as AI adoption continues to grow across Southeast Asia and South Asia’s frontier markets. Google said active users of its Gemini app in Southeast Asia have more than doubled over the past year, while consumer interest in AI is three times the global average.
Commenting on his new role, Gajria said the opportunity extends beyond technology adoption to how businesses, creators and communities across the region use emerging technologies.
“What excites me most isn't just the technology - it's what people in this region will do with it,” he said, pointing to AI’s potential to expand access to learning, help local businesses scale and support solutions to regional challenges.
Gajria brings more than 25 years of professional experience across the consumer and technology sectors. Before joining Google, he
