Bengaluru: NetApp, the intelligent data infrastructure company, has announced the appointment of Syam Nair as its new Chief Product Officer (CPO), effective Monday, 7 July 2025. Nair succeeds Harv Bhela, who concluded a successful tenure in June, and steps into the role with over 25 years of product and engineering leadership across global tech giants.
Recognised as a disruptive innovator and maverick technologist, Nair has held key leadership roles at Salesforce, Microsoft, and most recently, Zscaler, where he served as Chief Technology Officer and EVP of Research & Development. He will now lead NetApp’s product and engineering teams, focused on advancing the company’s hybrid cloud and AI solutions.
George Kurian, Chief Executive Officer at NetApp, said, “I am thrilled to welcome Syam to NetApp’s leadership team. He joins us at a time when our customers are looking to NetApp to help them deliver data-enabled growth and productivity: not only must they innovate to stay ahead, but they must also simplify to improve productivity and agility. This is a balance Syam has mastered throughout his career.
Syam’s proven track record – from building planet-scale Azure data services at Microsoft to spearheading hyper-scale platforms like Salesforce Data Cloud – is exactly what we need as we sharpen our focus on high-growth markets. Importantly, he’s not only a brilliant technologist but also a people-first leader who builds teams grounded in integrity and a growth mindset. Under Syam’s product leadership, I’m confident NetApp will deliver even more innovation and value for customers, strengthen our position as a cloud, data and AI leader, and remain at the forefront of what’s next.”
At Microsoft, Nair helped scale globally distributed Azure data services, while at Salesforce, he played a pivotal role in building Salesforce Data Cloud, an Agentic platform that transformed AI-powered customer engagement. His experience incubating transformative technologies and scaling global platforms aligns closely with NetApp’s strategic priorities in AI, cloud, and data infrastructure.
Syam Nair, Chief Product Officer, NetApp, commented, “I’m excited to join NetApp at such a pivotal time in the industry. Enterprises are embracing cloud and AI to transform their operations, and NetApp is uniquely positioned to help them succeed with its rich portfolio and talent.
I’ve spent my career tackling complex technological challenges and leading teams through transformations for hyper-growth. I’m thrilled to bring that experience to NetApp. We will set a bold vision for the future of hybrid cloud data services and execute with a growth mindset and relentless focus on customer success. NetApp has an inspiring mission and a values-driven culture and I’m honoured to be part of the team and eager to drive the next wave of innovation for our customers and partners.”
