# Dinesh Malkani

> Singapore-based entrepreneur Dinesh Malkani is the founder and CEO of Smarten Spaces. Formerly president of Cisco India and SAARC, he moved into workplace technology in 2017, focusing on space management, employee coordination, and the practical demands of hybrid work.

- **Role:** Founder & CEO at Smarten Spaces
- **Organizations:** Smarten Spaces, Cisco, Avaya, Jabra, AT&T, Page Industries, Parikrma Humanity Foundation, Akshaya Patra Foundation Singapore
- **Education:** B.E. in Computer Engineering, University of Pune, Executive MBA, State University of New York College at Buffalo, Specialized certification in Deep Tech & AI Innovation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Entrepreneur 3.0 program, London Business School
- **Known for:** Led Cisco India and SAARC from 2014 to 2017., Helped build a workplace technology company with customers across multiple countries., Smarten Spaces secured a US$12 million Series A investment in 2019.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2010** — Leadership roles at Avaya in China and South Korea and at Jabra in Asia Pacific; earlier work included AT&T.
- **2010** — Joined Cisco to lead collaboration technologies in Asia Pacific, Japan and China.
- **2014** — Became president of Cisco India and SAARC.
- **2017** — Appointed founding partner and worldwide CEO of Smarten Spaces in October; company founded in April.
- **2019** — Smarten Spaces raised US$12 million in Series A funding from Symphony International Holdings.
- **2025** — Appointed additional independent director of Page Industries effective 28 May, initially subject to shareholder approval.

## Achievements

- Led Cisco India and SAARC from 2014 to 2017.
- Helped build a workplace technology company with customers across multiple countries.
- Smarten Spaces secured a US$12 million Series A investment in 2019.
- Founded the Singapore chapter of Akshaya Patra, according to his Page Industries appointment biography.

## Latest updates

- **2025-05** — Appointed an additional independent director at Page Industries effective 28 May, subject to shareholder approval at that stage.
- **2026-06** — Argued publicly that India global capability centres require locally grounded operating decisions; month derived from LinkedIn activity timestamp.

## Links

- Website: https://smartenspaces.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmalkani/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/dineshmalkani

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/dinesh-malkani
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-11