NetApp, the intelligent data infrastructure company, announced the appointment of Syam Nair as Chief Product Officer (CPO), effective Monday, July 7, 2025. Syam Nair succeeds Harv Bhela, who completed his term in June after a distinguished tenure as product leader.
Nair is a former Salesforce and Microsoft executive with a reputation as a maverick innovator in the industry, bringing more than 25 years of experience scaling cloud platforms and driving hypergrowth. In his new role, Nair will lead NetApp’s product and engineering teams to accelerate innovation in hybrid cloud and AI offerings and advance NetApp’s strategic vision for data-driven business growth.
“I am very pleased to welcome Syam to the NetApp leadership team. He joins us at a time when our customers are looking to NetApp to help them achieve data-driven growth and productivity: they must not only innovate to stay ahead, but also simplify to improve productivity and agility. This is a balance Syam has mastered throughout his career,” said George Kurian, CEO of NetApp. “Syam’s background, from building global-scale Azure data services at Microsoft to leading hyperscaler platforms like Salesforce Data Cloud, is exactly what we need as we focus on high-growth markets. Importantly, he is not only a brilliant technologist, but also a people-first leader who builds teams with integrity and a growth mindset.” I am confident that under Syam’s leadership, NetApp will deliver even greater innovation and value to customers, and solidify our leadership position in cloud, data and AI, while remaining at the forefront of what’s next.”
Also Read: Starburst Named Leader in 2025 GigaOm Data Lake Report
Syam Nair joins NetApp from Zscaler, where he served as CTO and SVP of R&D. Nair brings more than two decades of engineering and product development leadership and is an expert in incubating new technologies from the ground up and leading large teams for large-scale transformations. During his tenure at Microsoft, Nair was part of the leadership team that built and expanded Azure’s globally distributed data services. At Salesforce, his leadership drove industry-leading innovations, including Salesforce Data Cloud, the next-generation Agentic platform that significantly advanced the company’s AI-powered customer engagement capabilities.
“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 by drawing on its deep portfolio and talent,” said Syam Nair, Chief Product Officer at NetApp. “I’ve spent my career tackling complex technology challenges and leading teams through transformations for hypergrowth. I’m excited to bring my experience to NetApp. We will define a bold vision for the future of data services in the hybrid cloud and execute with a growth mindset and a relentless focus on customer success. NetApp has an inspiring vision and a values-driven culture. It’s an honor to be a part of this team and I look forward to leading the next wave of innovation for our customers and partners.”
Source: Businesswire