'We see opportunity in SMEs & startups'

KULMEET Bawa has recently taken over as the MD of Adobe South Asia. In this new role, Bawa is focusing on the Indian market and is trying to solve its unique challenges. In an interview with BW Businessworld’s Ayushman Baruah, Bawa talks about how India is one of the most strategic markets for the company globally, and adoption of Adobe Creative Cloud in India and the opportunity for startups. Edited excerpts:

- Ayushman Baruah

It’s mundane to ask if India is an important market for you because we all know it is. But, can you share your unique strategy for the Indian market and your growth metrics?

As the company is growing, Adobe India continues to see an exponential growth and it is in fact one of the most strategic markets for the company globally. A key differentiator for Adobe India is its contribution to the company’s intellectual property (IP) creation, and ensuring that an outstanding customer experience is delivered.

From a market opportunity stand-point, India is one of the fastest growing regions for Adobe across APAC. The success, we are experiencing in the Indian market, today is a testament to our strong presence in the country, and the exploding demand for digital experience solutions in India. Going ahead, our strategy will be to continue delivering for the market demand and building a strong platform to continue to support our customers in the Indian market.

Adobe’s cloud platforms are today powering the digital transformation wave across the world’s biggest brands, educational institutions and government agencies. This market demand has seen us achieving record quarterly revenue of $1.40 billion for the second quarter fiscal year 2016, representing year-on- year growth of 20 per cent.

What is the role of the India’s R&D centre? Does it play a support-oriented role, or does it take a lead role in terms of newer technologies and innovation?

Adobe India’s R&D centre is one of our largest setups across the globe, and over a third of Adobe’s overall research and development happens out of the India labs. The India R&D centre has a strategic importance for Adobe and it is an integral part of the organisation’s overall growth, and we continue to make significant investments in our setup here.