Google has appointed Mitul Shah, a former Apple India executive, as the Managing Director of its devices and services business in India, as the internet giant seeks to expand its Pixel smartphone business in the country. Shah has more than nine years of experience in the tech sector and was the head of consumer sales at Apple India. He will oversee Pixel’s sales and growth initiatives in India in his new position.
Google’s decision to hire Shah demonstrates the company’s expanding goals in India, the second-largest smartphone market in the world. According to Counterpoint Research, Google’s Pixel devices currently only have a 0.04 percent market share in India, despite the country’s enormous population. The tech giant is eager to establish Pixel as a formidable competitor in this market given the nation’s growing need for high-end smartphones.
The appointment comes just months after Google began rolling out locally manufactured Pixel smartphones in India, beginning with the Pixel 8, bolstering the country’s ambitions to become a global manufacturing hub.
Shah’s career path was diverse, beginning as a senior executive at Maersk India and progressing to Infosys Technologies, where he specialized in forecasting and supply chain management. He designed and implemented supply chain transformation, trade promotion optimization, and sustainability solutions for multinational consumer goods companies during his time as Principal and Lead in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) Industry Group at Accenture.
He created and provided solutions for clients in the consumer goods industry in the areas of supply chain transformation, SC strategy design, entry strategy and operating model design, process transformation, trade promotion optimization, sales effectiveness, and sustainability.
Announcing his appointment on LinkedIn, Mitul shared,
“I am happy to share that I’ve started an exciting new journey with Google as Managing Director for Devices & Services Business – leading Pixel’s sales and expansion efforts in India. It’s an honor to be part of a company that’s at the forefront of innovation, and I’m particularly thrilled to be working on a product that has the potential to put the magic and power of AI in the pockets of millions of people across my beloved country.”
He further added,
“Pixel is not just another device. It’s the platform designed to put the immense power and possibilities of AI in everyone’s pocket. It’s an absolute privilege to be part of this story, to bring the best of Google to Indian consumers and build a more connected and empowered society.”
