Few leaders can claim to have pioneered AI adoption when it was nascent, built billion-dollar ecosystems, and shaped the way Fortune 500 companies embrace digital reinvention. Kunal Kapoor has done all three. Today, as a growth leader in AI and Cloud, he is redefining how enterprises scale, how ecosystems thrive, and how technology translates into measurable outcomes.
Kunal shares, “AI is no longer the future of work — it’s the new operating model for enterprises.”
As a growth leader at the forefront of AI and Cloud, he has consistently turned emerging technologies into business outcomes, scaling partnerships, driving $500M+ alliances, and shaping the future of autonomous enterprises.
The Microsoft veteran’s impact goes beyond financial outcomes. He is recognized for enabling responsible AI adoption, ecosystem innovation, and new ways of working that prepare enterprises for the future.
Over the last two decades, he has consistently turned emerging technologies into business outcomes — scaling partnerships, driving $500M+ alliances, and shaping the future of autonomous enterprises. Beyond revenue, his impact is recognized in responsible AI adoption, ecosystem innovation, and GenAI partnerships that prepare enterprises for the next decade.
He adds,” Cloud isn’t infrastructure anymore, it’s the growth engine for global industries.”
From Curiosity to Commercial Impact
Kunal’s journey began in 2002, when he came to the U.S. as a first-generation immigrant to pursue computer science, fueled by curiosity and resilience. He was determined in his belief that technology can be a catalyst for transformation.
Early consulting work across insurance, healthcare, and finance gave him a front-row seat to how technology reshapes business models and unlocks EBITDA impact through efficiency and modernization.
At Lord Abbett, he launched one of the firm’s first AI/ML risk models; an experience that sparked his passion for emerging technologies. Determined to sharpen his commercial skills, he pursued an MBA at Columbia, equipping him to bridge the worlds of innovation and business strategy.
That foundation proved critical at IBM, where he joined the early Watson team. His mission: bring AI out of the lab and into boardrooms. “It wasn’t about algorithms,” he recalls. “It was about showing executives how AI could drive efficiency, new revenue streams, and industry reinvention.”
Scaling Ecosystems at Microsoft
The real inflection point came at Microsoft. There, Kunal built and scaled partnerships that delivered growth at unprecedented scale. His most visible success: expanding the ServiceNow-Microsoft alliance from a $45M practice to over $500M global powerhouse business in just 18 months.
This wasn’t just about sales. It was about building a global operating model.
- Clarity of the North Star — everyone from sellers to engineers knew the shared goals.
- End-to-end orchestration — growth came when product, sales, and leadership executed in sync.
- Negotiation through value — framing partnerships around customer impact, not corporate politics.
The outcome: it became one of Microsoft’s top three global partnerships, CEO-sponsored and product-aligned, reshaping how enterprises adopt AI and cloud at scale.
But his influence extended far beyond ServiceNow. Kunal also:
- Pioneered GenAI partnerships with Azure OpenAI and embedded Copilot across enterprise workflows.
- Explored transformative alliances, such as BlackRock’s Aladdin on Azure, planting seeds that became a $30B AI infrastructure fund.
- Built multi-partner plays with Accenture, KPMG, and Wipro, aligning consulting giants to Microsoft’s AI roadmap.
As Kunal often tells his teams, “Partnerships aren’t PowerPoints — they’re operating systems.”
Driving the Agentic AI Era at Genpact
Today, as a senior Partner at Genpact, Kunal leads high-growth businesses across AI, Cloud, and SaaS; with a special focus on Agentic AI. His teams are embedding autonomous agents into Source-to-Pay, Finance, HR, IT and Supply Chain, delivering outcomes at scale.
- AI agents that cut reconciliation work by 60%.
- Cloud-native workflows that shorten cycle times by 40%.
- Agentic task managers and Copilot / Agentforce integrations that free employees to focus on higher-value work.
“The real promise of Agentic AI isn’t generating text,” he notes. “It’s generating outcomes CFOs can take to the board.”
Innovation Across Ecosystems
Beyond Microsoft and ServiceNow, Kunal has advised and driven ecosystem partnerships comprising software sales with:
- Databricks and NVIDIA, shaping joint narratives around AI/ML platforms and accelerated computing.
- HighRadius, Xelix, and Blackline, bringing GenAI into finance transformation at scale.
- Salesforce and AWS ecosystems, aligning AI-native workflows with industry-specific GBS transformation.
This breadth underscores his ability to grow not just one alliance, but an entire portfolio of AI, SaaS, and Cloud ecosystems.
Scaling these partnership-focused sales and alliances requires far more than signing agreements; it means designing and executing a global operating model capable of delivering at scale. The principles that proved most valuable throughout his career include:
Clarity of the North Star— establishing a shared vision and defining precisely what will be taken to market together. Success comes when every seller and delivery team understands how joint offerings translate into outcomes and targets. For example, in scaling the Microsoft–ServiceNow partnership, this meant aligning Azure, GenAI services, and workflow platforms globally. Similarly, initiatives like BlackRock’s Aladdin on Azure required crystal-clear alignment on the growth thesis before execution.
End-to-end orchestration — spanning executive sponsorship, engineering, product alignment, and co-created solutions. Breakthroughs such as the integration of Microsoft Copilot with ServiceNow’s Now Assist happened only because product roadmaps were aligned, not just sales plays. In the same way, embedding autonomous agents with Genpact clients today requires orchestrating between SaaS providers, GenAI platforms, and domain expertise across IT, finance, and supply chain.
Negotiation through value creation — reframing partnerships around unlocking true customer impact rather than dividing revenue. In alliances like Databricks–NVIDIA, the value story centers on reducing the cost of AI training and inference for enterprises. With Genpact, the focus has been on demonstrating how Agentic AI translates into efficiency gains or financial outcomes in the form of client savings. By grounding negotiations in measurable client outcomes, speed and scale follow naturally.
Navigating global complexity further required discipline and trust. From structuring joint GTM models in North America to enabling co-sell across Europe and APAC, every market presented its own nuances. Transparency, consistent communication, and equipping local teams with both tools and flexibility proved essential.
Integrating Technology Right
Asked about how businesses can best leverage AI and Cloud, Kunal highlights three imperatives: data, scalability, and responsible adoption. AI and Cloud, he stresses, are not IT projects but business strategies.
“The winners of the Agentic Decade will treat AI as a collaborator, not a tool.”
Agentic AI exemplifies this promise. It streamlines workflows, embeds intelligence into processes, and frees humans to focus on higher-value tasks. Cloud platforms then provide agility — enabling enterprises to innovate quickly, test faster, and scale globally without friction.
Lessons from Big Wins
Behind the $500M+ enterprise deals, and global programs are principles Kunal carries forward:
- Trust is built in hallways, not just boardrooms. Relationships drive outcomes.
- Technology alone doesn’t win. Business cases that deliver EBITDA lift and resilience earn executive conviction.
- Scaling requires orchestration. From engineering alignment to revenue-sharing, success comes when the system works as one.
Growth Synergy
Kunal’s philosophy is about balancing near-term revenue with long-term transformation. At Microsoft, that meant initiatives like BlackRock’s Aladdin on Azure; planting the seeds that later grew into a $30B joint AI infrastructure fund. At Genpact, it means driving SaaS and AI adoption today while co-creating the foundations for the autonomous enterprise of tomorrow.
“When you anchor every motion in client outcomes, growth follows naturally. That’s how you drive both quarterly performance and multi-year transformation.”
The Agentic Decade
Looking ahead, Kunal believes the next decade will be defined by Agentic AI — a shift as transformative as SaaS in the 2000s and Cloud in the 2010s.
- Self-optimizing processes —
IT, HR, Supply Chain, Finance, and Procurement that continuously adapt.
- Radical productivity gains
— not 10% lifts, but 3x – 5x leaps.
- Democratized innovation —
AI agents enabling every employee to become a “citizen innovator”.
“The winners will be those who treat AI not as a tool, but as a collaborator.”
Valuing Partnerships
As an advisor to private equity-backed SaaS firms, Kunal spotlights the most common pitfall. For him, it is treating partnerships as transactions rather than growth, overseeing them as a chance for triumphant expansions. He points out the thoughts of SaaS firms. They think once they sign a deal with Microsoft or AWS, the revenue will flow effortlessly. In reality, his principle is “partnerships are living systems, they need joint value propositions, co-sell motions, and constant nurturing.”
Another pitfall he brings to notice is the over-reliance on a single channel. Mid-cap or PE-backed firms often bet too heavily on direct sales or one hyperscaler. He guides them to build balanced GTM portfolios across ISVs, GSIs, MSPs, and CSPs so growth is both accelerated and de-risked.
Concluding on this, he emphasizes the measurement of the right metrics. It’s not just about partner-sourced revenue, but partner-influenced pipeline, joint product adoption, and ecosystem stickiness.
Innovation Across the Globe
Kunal is principled about the team being clear to show outperformance. The team should be aware of their work’s impact on the client outcomes. At Genpact, his approach to success extends beyond EBITDA impact to include productivity gains and cost efficiencies that strengthen client agility and resilience. By ensuring teams see their efforts translate directly into measurable business outcomes, he fosters a deeper sense of purpose and alignment.
In this quote, he adds curiosity and being a cultural fit. If someone embodies those traits, the rest can be taught. That philosophy has guided his hiring and team-building across every role.
He believes scaling innovation requires both structure and freedom. His approach has been to provide teams with the guardrails of a clear go-to-market strategy, defining which products to co-sell and how to engage clients while allowing space for experimentation and creativity. This balance has enabled the adoption of Agentic AI at scale, moving beyond pilots to deliver measurable productivity outcomes for Fortune 500 clients.
At its core, his leadership philosophy centers on building high-performance teams by balancing near-term revenue with long-term innovation, and by driving hard financial results while fostering a culture where people can do the best work of their careers.
He shares a reminder statement of his team: “Innovation doesn’t happen because of titles; it happens because people feel safe to try.”
Building Teams, Building Legacies
Beyond numbers, Kunal is equally passionate about culture. He leads with Buffett’s maxim of intelligence, energy, and integrity — adding curiosity and cultural fit to the mix. His teams are encouraged to experiment boldly within the guardrails of a clear strategy.
“Innovation doesn’t happen because of titles,” he reminds them. “It happens because people feel safe to try.”
For clients, his legacy will be measurable: not just digital transformation, but business reinvention. For people, it will be pathways: ensuring the next generation of leaders — especially from underrepresented backgrounds — thrive in technology.
“Growth isn’t numbers on a chart. It’s shaping industries, building ecosystems, and creating outcomes that matter.”
Advice for the Next Generation
Kunal’s advice to the next generation of leaders:
• Stay curious, not comfortable. Technology will keep changing, curiosity is your edge.
• Learn to tell stories with data. The best technologists and salespeople connect tech to human outcomes.
• Build your tribe. Success in tech isn’t solo — it’s ecosystems, partnerships, and communities.
• Don’t fear failure. As he tells his daughters: “Perfection doesn’t teach you; mistakes do.”
