Google has appointed Nitin Gajria as Managing Director for Southeast Asia and South Asia Frontier Markets, bringing him back to the region where he began his Google career more than 12 years ago. Gajria announced the move on LinkedIn, describing the appointment as a “full-circle moment.”
Gajria most recently spent three years leading Google’s publisher and creator monetization business across Asia Pacific. His work involved the broader publisher and creator ecosystem, giving him experience across partnerships, monetization and regional business development.
His Google career has included several regional leadership positions. Before his APAC role, Gajria spent four years leading Google’s business across Sub-Saharan Africa. He also previously managed the company’s large customer sales business across Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. He originally joined Google in 2014 as Head of Brand Solutions for India and Southeast Asia.
The new appointment comes as Southeast Asia and South Asia’s frontier markets see increasing interest in artificial intelligence and digital technologies. Google has said active users of its Gemini app in Southeast Asia have more than doubled over the past year, while Gajria noted in his announcement that regional consumer interest in AI is running at three times the global average.
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Gajria’s new remit places him at the intersection of regional business development, digital transformation and AI adoption. His role will involve working with Google teams, partners, developers and creators across the markets as businesses and consumers increasingly incorporate AI into digital experiences and everyday operations.
The appointment also comes amid broader changes in Google’s regional leadership structure. Earlier this month, Sapna Chadha moved into an expanded Asia Pacific advertising leadership role after nearly four years overseeing Google’s Southeast Asia and South Asia frontier business.
For Gajria, the move represents a return to a market he has been closely associated with while taking on a broader leadership mandate during a period of rapid change in the region’s digital and AI landscape.
