Pravjit Tiwana is a product and technology executive with over 24 years of experience building and scaling global cloud, AI, storage, and SaaS platforms. He’s led multi-billion-dollar P&Ls across hyperscaler-native services and enterprise ecosystems. Pravjit spent 15 years at AWS and Microsoft launching 0-to-100 products like Office 365, OneDrive, CloudFront, and Edge services and served as CTO & CEO at Gemini APAC, driving company-wide transformation. He is currently Senior Vice President and General Manager, Cloud Storage at NetApp, leading global cloud storage and services across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Known for customer obsession, product instinct, and operational excellence, Pravjit is passionate about scaling teams and platforms with speed and simplicity. He is also a marathon runner, cyclist, and avid golfer.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with CIO Magazine, Pravjit shared insights into his career journey, leadership approach, and vision for the future of technology. He also shared his personal passions, future plans, pearls of wisdom, and much more. The following excerpts are taken from the interview.
Hi Pravjit. Can you walk us through your career journey and highlight key milestones that have shaped your expertise?
My career has been a journey of continuous learning and reinvention. I began with a degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering, followed by an MBA. While in business school, I met my wife—who had a computer science background—and she sparked my interest in programming and taught me programming. Thanks to her, I was first exposed to object-oriented programming and multi-tier architecture.
After a brief stint in a management role, my passion for software development led me to build and sell my first Web 1.0 application suite during the dotcom era in India. In 2001, we moved to Seattle, where I joined a Boeing Flight Safety backed startup as a software engineer and grew through the ranks.
My time at Microsoft was pivotal—I spent eight years there, deepening my expertise in distributed systems, large-scale SaaS, and cloud platforms as a founding member of services like Live Storage, OneDrive, Live Mesh, and Exchange Online (Office 365).
At Disney, I stepped into executive leadership, overseeing global infrastructure and hosting at scale. I then joined AWS, where I led both SaaS and IaaS businesses. The first few years were focused on 0–1 SaaS productivity services, followed by leadership of Amazon CloudFront, Data Transfer, and Lambda@Edge. My time at AWS deeply shaped my thinking on ownership, scale, and customer obsession.
I later served as CTO and CEO for Asia Pacific at Gemini, launching a wide range of FinTech products and gaining my first exposure to trading systems and global financial operations.
Today, I lead NetApp’s global cloud portfolio, spanning first-party services like ANF, FSx for ONTAP, and GCNV, our third-party Cloud Volumes ONTAP platform, and our open-source infrastructure business (Instaclustr). I am uniquely positioned as my team and I build and operate first party cloud storage and AI integrations into all three major hyperscalers – AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. I do think this is an exceptional position offering true multi-cloud product and engineering exposure.
What do you love the most about your current role?
What excites me most about my role at NetApp is the opportunity to help shape the future. We’re building the foundational infrastructure for the next era—where AI, cloud, and data come together to reinvent how businesses operate and innovate.
Three things make this journey at NetApp incredibly meaningful:
First, AI is transforming every industry, and data is its most critical fuel. With so much of the world’s enterprise data on NetApp, we’re in the rare position to power this transformation. We’re not just enabling AI workloads, we’re helping define how data is activated, secured, and scaled for intelligence.
Second, we’re building true multicloud innovation. I have the privilege of leading first-party services across all three hyperscalers—AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. This gives us deep insight into their engineering stacks and lets us co-create future-ready solutions that span storage, AI platforms, and developer ecosystems. We’re helping customers build without boundaries.
Third, through our open-source infrastructure business, we’re empowering the next generation of builders. I’ve always believed that open source unlocks innovation at scale—by making cutting-edge technology accessible, flexible, and community-driven.
What ties it all together is the culture—our teams are relentlessly curious, future-facing, and customer-obsessed. It’s that collective energy that makes every day feel like we’re building something that genuinely moves the world forward.
What role do you think AI and machine learning will play in shaping the future of technology?
Machine learning has been around for a while—we’ve seen its value in recommendations, predictions, and automation for years. But what’s happening now with AI, especially generative AI, is fundamentally different. The pace of change has accelerated dramatically, and it’s starting to reshape how we build, run, and interact with technology.
We’re entering a world where infrastructure is becoming intelligent, software development is being reimagined, and data is no longer passive—it’s dynamic and central to real-time decision-making. AI is moving up the stack and across domains faster than most of us expected.
That doesn’t mean software engineering is going away. In fact, it’s evolving. AI is changing how we write code, how we test, how we deploy—but it’s also raising the bar on system design, architecture, and product thinking. Engineers won’t be replaced—they’ll be augmented. The ones who thrive will be those who know how to work alongside AI to build smarter, faster, and with more impact.
What invigorates me is not just the technology—it’s the opportunity to reimagine how things get built. We need to stay focused on solving real problems, keeping humans in the loop, and using AI to amplify what’s possible—not just automate what exists.
What personal or professional philosophies have contributed to your success, and how have you applied these principles in your career?
One idea that has guided me throughout my career is this: make things simple and then scale that simplicity. In tech, it’s easy to make things complex — but real impact comes from making things clear and focused. Whether it’s a product, a plan, or a process, if it’s not simple, it won’t scale. Simplicity brings speed, helps people stay aligned, and makes it easier to deliver value to customers. It’s not about removing depth — it’s about cutting through the noise and staying focused on what truly matters.
I try to bring this thinking into everything I do — whether I’m leading teams, growing a business, or launching something new. I focus on reducing confusion, creating clear goals, and building ways of working that people can rally around. As a leader, I believe it’s my job to make things easier to understand, not harder. When people know the purpose behind their work, they move faster and build better. And in my experience, simple ideas — backed by strong execution — scale better and last longer than anything complex ever could.
How do you approach leadership and building high-performing teams?
My approach to leadership and building high-performing teams centers around four cultural pillars that I consistently focus on—whether I’m starting from scratch or inheriting an existing organization. These aren’t just tactics—they’re foundational behaviors that shape how teams operate, grow, and deliver.
Foster a culture of urgency: I strongly believe that time-to-value is the most important metric in innovation—how quickly an idea translates into meaningful value for the customer. Speed is what enables learning, adaptation, and momentum. Teams that move fast get more chances to experiment, improve, and win. When roadmaps stretch into years without near-term impact, it’s often a sign that customer obsession is missing. High-performing teams move with purpose—and urgency.
Build a culture of learning: High-performing teams are learning organizations at their core. If a team isn’t asking questions, giving feedback, or embracing new ideas, it’s a signal that growth has stalled. I try to model and encourage a beginner’s mindset—where humility fuels curiosity, and curiosity drives progress. Without learning, there’s no growth. Without growth, relevance fades quickly.
Create clarity by focusing on the “what” and “why.”: Execution only matters if you’re headed in the right direction. I encourage teams to constantly pressure-test their purpose: What are we building? Why does it matter? Does it align with customer needs, market dynamics, and where the technology is heading? Staying grounded in the “what” and “why” prevents wasted motion and makes the “how” much more effective.
Instil deep ownership: To me, true leadership is rooted in ownership. The best teams don’t just escalate problems—they solve them. They act on behalf of the customer and the company, not just their own function. They stay reliable, take accountability for outcomes, and never let success be someone else’s job. Ownership builds trust, and trust builds high performance.
Is there a particular person you are grateful for who helped get you to where you are?
I’ve been fortunate to learn from every manager and colleague I’ve worked with—each one helped shape how I think about leadership, growth, and resilience. I’m especially grateful to my wife—not only did she introduce me to programming early on, but she’s been a constant source of wisdom, balance, and perspective throughout my journey.
I also draw a lot of strength from my Sikhism faith. The values I grew up with—humility, service, perseverance, and equality—have quietly but deeply influenced how I lead. They’ve taught me to stay grounded, to lead with empathy, and to focus on lifting others as I grow.
What are some of your passions outside of work? What do you like to do in your time off?
Outside of work, I enjoy spending quality time with my family and our adorable dog Goldendoodle, Nemo. I’m an avid golfer, long-distance runner, and a regular on the Peloton. I have a deep passion for travel and hiking—exploring new places and trails is my way of recharging. I also value time with close friends; meaningful conversations and shared experiences keep me grounded and inspired.
What is your biggest goal? Where do you see yourself in 5 years from now?
My biggest goal isn’t tied to a specific title—it’s about impact. I want to continue accelerating innovation that makes a real difference in the world, especially at the intersection of cloud, AI, and data. I’m driven by the idea that technology, when applied thoughtfully, can solve meaningful problems and make people’s lives better.
Over the next five years, I hope to keep growing—as a leader, as a builder, and as a human. That means working with great teams, staying close to customers, and learning constantly. I also hope to spend more time nurturing the parts of life that keep me grounded—family, nature, and simplicity.
Longer-term, I’d love to get more involved in farming. It’s something I’ve always been drawn to—it connects you back to the earth, to patience, and to purpose. I see it as my post-career passion, and maybe one of the most human things I can do after decades in tech.
What advice would you give to aspiring technology leaders looking to break into the industry?
Enjoy the journey—it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t define success by how big your team is or how many people report to you. Focus on the impact you’re making on the business, on customers, and on the people around you.
Stay curious, stay humble, and keep learning. It’s easy to get caught up in execution and career ladders, but don’t let that come at the cost of your own growth or the joy of building.
And most importantly—don’t get so busy working in your career that you forget to live your life. The best leaders I know are the ones who stay grounded, who make space for family, friends, and moments that recharge them. That’s what gives you perspective—and staying power.