JAKARTA - Salesforce has appointed Paul Carvouni, a Microsoft veteran with 11 years at the Redmond tech giant, to head its ASEAN operation. 

The new Senior Vice President and General Manager for ASEAN will lead Salesforce’s growth and operations across the region, pushing business to adopt “agentic” AI-driven ways of working. 

Salesforce sees up to US$1 trillion in potential value in the ASEAN market by 2030. The company has been expanding its regional presence, opening a Philippines office in October 2025 in addition to its operations in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, and increasing the availability of its products in local languages.

Carvouni has spent more than 20 years in the Asia-Pacific technology sector, including senior roles at Microsoft and Riverbed Technology. At Microsoft, he previously served as general manager for enterprise and solutions sales, as well as director of sales for data, analytics and AI, and for modern workplace and cybersecurity.

He takes on the role as Salesforce continues to scale up in ASEAN, with offices in Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, and a new Philippines office opened in late 2025, alongside the rollout of more localised products and services.

The move comes as Western tech companies increase their presence in ASEAN, with a growing focus on data centres, cloud services and other digital infrastructure across the region.

Microsoft’s 2025 AI Diffusion Report has previously championed Singapore as one of the world’s leaders in AI adoption, with nearly 59% of its working-age population using AI tools (on par with top adopters like the UAE and Norway) thanks to strong government support and partnerships with tech firms.

Last month, Malaysia’s major palm oil companies were starting to use parts of their land for data centres and solar projects as global tech firms ramp up investment in the country. 

Groups such as SD Guthrie, KLK and IOI say their large estates and access to power make them well placed to support new facilities, particularly in Johor, where data centre activity is picking up.