NEW DELHI, Jan. 16 -- Anthropic, one of the world's largest artificial intelligence (AI) startups, on Friday appointed its first leadership in India, naming former Microsoft India managing director Irina Ghose to the role.

Ghose will serve as managing director for Anthropic India, ending her 24-year tenure at Microsoft India, where she rose through the ranks to become chief operating officer before being promoted to managing director in June 2023. She also led Microsoft's education and cloud sales businesses in the country. She joins Anthropic as competition among global AI firms intensifies to secure an early foothold in the Indian market.

Ghose is Anthropic's first leadership hire in India. The move comes three months after founder an...