Puja Athale is the Global Partner Lead for Telco AI at Microsoft, where she leads strategic AI and cloud collaborations with telecom providers worldwide. She works closely with partners to co-create and scale AI-powered solutions, accelerating network transformation, operational efficiency, and new revenue streams. Puja plays a key role in shaping go-to-market strategies, building Cloud Centers of Excellence, and driving joint innovation with Azure OpenAI and cloud-native technologies.

With over two decades in enterprise technology, Puja has led complex cloud and AI-led initiatives across large global system integrators. She has managed multi-million-dollar P&Ls, built high-performing cloud sales teams, and delivered impactful AI, data, and infrastructure modernization for Fortune 500 clients. Her partner ecosystem leadership spans Microsoft, Google Cloud, and Oracle, consistently driving growth and customer value.

Puja holds a degree in Telecommunications Engineering and has built a career delivering technology-driven business transformation at scale. She is an award-winning executive, a passionate advocate for women in tech, and actively serves as a board member of Empowering Women Leaders (EWL) .