Microsoft has appointed Gunawan Susanto as Country General Manager for Indonesia, where he will lead the company’s domestic operations and support its US$1.7 billion cloud and AI infrastructure investment in the country.

His appointment coincides with Microsoft’s efforts to build the country’s AI talent pool and expand digital access across the public sector, large enterprises, and small businesses.

A key focus will be the Microsoft Elevate initiative.

The programme has already reached more than 2 million people in Indonesia, with over 1.2 million participants earning recognised credentials.

“Indonesia is one of Asia’s most consequential digital economies, with the scale, talent, and ambition to lead in the AI era,”

said Mayank Wadhwa, President, Microsoft ASEAN.

Wadhwa noted that Susanto’s local insight will help Indonesian organisations convert this ambition into measurable progress and expand inclusive growth across the country.

Susanto brings more than two decades of technology leadership experience to the position.

He previously served as President Director and Chief Executive Officer of both Amazon Web Services Indonesia and IBM Indonesia.

More recently, he invested in Indonesia’s healthcare sector via private equity and served as an Independent Commissioner at PT Dayamitra Telekomunikasi.

“Microsoft’s commitment to innovation and empowerment aligns strongly with my belief that technology can be a powerful force for positive change,”

Susanto said.

He succeeds Dharma Simorangkir, who previously guided Microsoft Indonesia through a period of sustained growth.

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Indonesia, based on image by Microsoft