For nearly three decades, Arun Kumar Parameswaran has worked across multiple regions, building a career that mirrors the rapid global shifts in technology and digital transformation. Now, as the Executive Vice-President and Managing Director for Salesforce in South Asia, he is turning that experience toward one of the region’s fastest-growing digital markets: Bangladesh.
In a recent conversation with The Daily Star, Arun discusses the opportunities and anxieties surrounding AI adoption, the regulatory gaps that shape its rollout, and why he believes Bangladesh’s young, tech-driven population is positioned to shape the next phase of the country’s digital economy.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. The Daily Star (TDS): You have spent nearly three decades working across India, the United States, Australia, and Singapore. How has this global perspective shaped your approach to driving Salesforce’s growth in South Asia, particularly in markets like Bangladesh?
Arun Kumar Parameswaran (AKP): Having worked across diverse markets, one consistent learning is that technology’s impact is universal, but its success depends on how deeply it’s localised. My global experience reinforces the importance of understanding local context, customer priorities, and talent ecosystems. In South Asia, and particularly in Bangladesh, we see a young, ambitious, and digitally savvy population eager to embrace innovation. Our focus is to empower these businesses and individuals with trusted AI, data, and automation, so they can leapfrog traditional stages of growth and compete globally.
TDS: What unique opportunities and challenges do you see for AI adoption in this market?
AKP: Bangladesh is making steady progress on its digital transformation journey. With expanding connectivity and a dynamic SME ecosystem, the country is well-positioned to harness the potential of AI to drive efficiency and innovation. From advancing financial inclusion to enabling smarter manufacturing and improving public service delivery, the opportunities are immense. As digital adoption accelerates across the country, AI, particularly agentic AI, can empower businesses of all sizes to compete globally, enhance productivity, and improve services across sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and finance. With AI agents, routine tasks can be automated, freeing employees to focus on higher-value, creative, and customer-centric work.
For example, textile factories can use AI to detect fabric inconsistencies, banks can streamline onboarding, and service teams can deliver personalised, real-time support. By leveraging these capabilities, Bangladeshi businesses can unlock new efficiencies, revenue opportunities, and innovative ways of working, accelerating the nation’s digital transformation. The challenge, however, lies in building trust, data readiness, and digital skills at scale. Every AI transformation begins with a data transformation – and with Salesforce data cloud, businesses can unify fragmented data to create a strong foundation for AI. As Bangladesh continues its digital journey, trusted, ethical, and human-centred AI will be key to unlocking its full potential.
TDS: In regions where regulatory frameworks for AI are still emerging, how do you ensure businesses can confidently adopt your technologies without compromising ethics or accountability?
AKP: We have spent over a decade investing in ethical AI, both in our business and with our customers. Building on our trusted AI principles, we have published guidelines for Generative AI, an AI acceptable use policy, and guiding principles for the responsible development of agentic AI. We believe that AI regulation serves as a baseline. We work to not just “check the boxes” but also meet and exceed customer and stakeholder expectations on data privacy, protection, security, etc., helping businesses adopt AI technologies confidently.
As an example, we have been building the Einstein Trust Layer with responsible and safe AI expectations in mind. This layer keeps customers in control of their data and protects the privacy of individuals using our services through techniques like secure data retrieval, data masking, and zero retention. Our Atlas Reasoning Engine adds enhanced accuracy and nuance to the outputs, meaning that users can be confident in every step of the agent experience. That isn’t only a reflection of what we believe is a responsible thing to do, but it is also a reflection of where we expect public policy will be going and what those baseline expectations are.
TDS: Bangladesh recently initiated steps towards a national roadmap on digital transformation with support from the UNDP. How can Salesforce contribute to such public–private collaborations in shaping an inclusive AI policy environment?
AKP: We contribute by sharing our expertise in ethical AI, providing technology solutions built with trust at their core, and participating in multi-stakeholder initiatives that guide policy and best practices. These efforts help create an environment where AI delivers benefits for all people and communities. We continue to proactively engage with governments and all stakeholder groups to advance responsible, risk-based, and globally applicable AI norms.
TDS: Sustainability is often cited in your responsible AI guidelines. With rising concerns about the environmental footprint of large AI models, what concrete measures is Salesforce taking to minimise that impact, and how do you see this resonating in South Asia?
AKP: Agentforce, our enterprise-grade system for agentic AI, is built with sustainability at its core, leveraging specialised, efficient models designed for specific use cases, like automating customer support or generating sales recommendations. We train our models in low-carbon regions, and deploy them with energy-efficient hardwares, helping mitigate AI’s impact on the planet. Across our operations, ecosystem, and investments, we are working to make AI more sustainable and ensure equitable access to AI. These efforts resonate strongly in South Asia, where balancing innovation with sustainability is essential for long-term progress.
TDS: How is Salesforce contributing to talent development in South Asia, particularly for Bangladeshi graduates?
AKP: AI will transform every job, creating new roles even as it redefines existing ones. At Salesforce, we are deeply committed to helping the workforce adapt through continuous learning and reskilling. Our free online learning platform, Trailhead, helps equip individuals with the skills essential for thriving careers in the digital economy. Across South Asia, learners are leveraging Trailhead to build in-demand digital and AI skills. We are also working with local partners and institutions across South Asia to extend AI skilling programs, helping ensure that the next generation of talent, including recent graduates, can thrive in the AI era.
