Anthropic taps former Microsoft exec Irina Ghose to head India business
The appointment comes at a time when global AI firms intensify their focus on India, driven by a large technical workforce, rising enterprise demand and increasing policy engagement around artificial intelligence governance.
Anthropic has named former Microsoft India head Irina Ghose as managing director for the country, formalising a senior leadership presence in what the company says is its second-largest global market for usage of its Claude AI models.
The artificial intelligence (AI) startup said Ghose will lead its India operations as adoption of generative AI tools accelerates across enterprises, developers and government-linked organisations. She most recently served as the managing director of Microsoft India, where she oversaw enterprise adoption of AI across sectors including banking, manufacturing, healthcare and public services.
“India has a real opportunity to shape how AI is built and deployed at scale,” Ghose said in the statement announcing her appointment. “Indian organizations are moving beyond experimentation toward applied AI, where trust, safety, and long-term impact matter as much as innovation”
Anthropic said India now ranks as the second-largest market globally for Claude.ai usage, underscoring the country’s growing role in the company’s international expansion strategy. According to the company’s latest Economic Index, nearly half of Claude usage from India is concentrated in computer science and mathematical tasks, pointing to a strong developer-led user base.
The appointment comes as global AI firms intensify their focus on India, driven by a large technical workforce, rising enterprise demand and increasing policy engagement around artificial intelligence governance. Ghose brings more than three decades of experience in scaling technology businesses, with prior leadership roles spanning sales, enterprise solutions, education and go-to-market strategy.
“Irina's expertise in scaling technology businesses and driving enterprise transformation makes her the ideal leader as we expand,” said Chris Ciauri, Managing Director, International at Anthropic.
“As we grow our teams and deepen engagement across India’s public and private sectors, Irina will ensure our approach is grounded in local insight and aligned with our mission.”
Anthropic also said its chief executive officer Dario Amodei and other senior executives will travel to India in February to formally open the company’s Bengaluru office. The leadership team is expected to participate in the India AI Impact Summit, where discussions will focus on responsible AI development, safety and global access.
The company said expanding its on-the-ground team in India would allow it to deepen engagement with policymakers and academic institutions, strengthen enterprise relationships and build partnerships with developers applying AI to local challenges.