Coursera, one of the world’s leading online learning platforms, has announced the appointment of Ashutosh Gupta as its new Managing Director for India and Asia Pacific (APAC). This strategic leadership move comes at a time when Coursera is looking to accelerate growth, expand partnerships, and drive digital skill transformation across its fastest-growing region.
Ashutosh Gupta: Leadership profile
Ashutosh Gupta brings over 20 years of experience in strategic leadership, digital transformation, and business development across technology and education sectors. Prior to joining Coursera, Gupta served as the Country Manager for LinkedIn India, where he played a critical role in expanding the professional network’s market share, user engagement, and enterprise offerings in India.
He has also worked with Google, where he led strategic partnerships and business operations, gaining deep expertise in managing large cross-functional teams and scaling digital initiatives.
| Key Career Highlights of Ashutosh Gupta | |
|---|---|
| Country Manager, India | |
| Head, Strategic Partnerships & Operations | |
| Education | MBA, ISB Hyderabad; B.Tech, IIT Delhi |
| Expertise | Digital strategy, enterprise partnerships, market expansion |
Coursera’s growth focus in India and APAC
With over 124 million registered learners globally, Coursera sees India as its second-largest market after the United States. The company has partnered with leading Indian universities including IIT Bombay, IIM Ahmedabad, and ISB to deliver online degrees, executive programs, and skill certifications.
Under Ashutosh Gupta’s leadership, Coursera aims to:
- Expand university partnerships for online degree programs to reach Tier II and Tier III cities.
- Collaborate with governments and public sector units for workforce upskilling and job-linked skilling programs aligned with Digital India and Skill India initiatives.
- Enhance enterprise learning solutions for Indian corporates to drive AI, data analytics, cloud, and leadership skills adoption.
- Strengthen APAC markets, including Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, and Japan, by replicating scalable India models.
Coursera’s India performance snapshot
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Registered learners | 20+ million |
| Top courses | AI for Everyone (Andrew Ng), Programming with Python, Digital Marketing |
| Top partners | IIT Bombay, IIM Ahmedabad, ISB, University of Michigan |
| Enterprise clients | Infosys, TCS, Reliance Industries, public sector units |
| Government projects | Skill India partnership for employability and digital skilling |
CEO’s comment on the appointment
Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, welcomed Ashutosh Gupta, stating:
“Ashutosh is a proven leader with a deep understanding of India and Asia Pacific’s digital landscape. His expertise will be instrumental as Coursera builds new pathways to high-quality learning and employability in the region.”
Ashutosh Gupta’s vision for Coursera
In his first official statement as Managing Director, Gupta expressed:
“India and Asia Pacific are witnessing a digital transformation in education and skilling. Coursera is uniquely positioned to bridge the learning-employability gap through scalable online education. I look forward to working with our university, government, and industry partners to empower millions of learners with future-ready skills.”
Key strategic priorities for Gupta in 2025
- Accelerating AI and tech skilling programs: Launching generative AI, data science, and cybersecurity-focused professional certificates with global and Indian partners.
- Enhancing vernacular offerings: Introducing more courses in Hindi and regional languages to reach non-English speaking learners.
- Driving affordability and access: Collaborating with state governments to integrate Coursera content in public university curricula for minimal cost.
- Growing degree programs: Adding top Indian universities to Coursera’s online degree portfolio to make quality education accessible at scale.
- Expanding in Southeast Asia: Leveraging India’s success playbook to grow in Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.
India’s digital skilling opportunity
India’s digital economy is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, with demand for advanced technology, AI, and management skills growing exponentially. Reports indicate that only 45% of Indian graduates are currently employable, highlighting the urgent need for industry-relevant skilling – an area Coursera is rapidly tapping into with its job-aligned professional certificates and micro-credentials.
| India’s Workforce Skilling Gaps | Potential Online Education Solutions |
|---|---|
| Low digital readiness in Tier II/III cities | Affordable remote degree and certification programs |
| Limited AI, cloud, data skills | Generative AI, cloud fundamentals, data analytics certifications |
| Employability issues for fresh graduates | Job-linked professional certificates co-developed with employers |
| Slow adoption of continuous learning | Enterprise learning subscriptions for upskilling existing employees |
Competitive landscape
Coursera competes with upGrad, BYJU’S, Simplilearn, edX, and Great Learning in the Indian online higher education and skilling market. However, its advantage lies in:
- Global university partnerships
- Recognised professional certificates (e.g., Google, IBM, Meta)
- Platform scalability and AI-enabled learning personalisation
Future outlook
With Ashutosh Gupta at the helm, Coursera is expected to strengthen its leadership in India and Asia Pacific’s online learning ecosystem, potentially:
- Doubling registered learners to 40 million in India by 2027
- Expanding its degree offerings to include 20+ Indian universities
- Integrating AI-powered adaptive learning across all programs for improved learner outcomes
Conclusion
Coursera’s appointment of Ashutosh Gupta marks a pivotal leadership shift as the edtech giant navigates India and APAC’s rapidly evolving learning landscape. With his strong strategic and digital expertise, Gupta is expected to drive impactful partnerships, inclusive growth, and employability-focused learning solutions that empower millions of learners across the region.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Readers are advised to verify decisions related to employment, investment, or academic enrolment with official Coursera announcements, their partners, and regulatory disclosures before acting upon this content.
