Malcolm De Silva

Visionary
DISC Type : Ds

Director Mining & Natural Resources at Microsoft

Australia

Overview

Malcolm De Silva is a transformation executive at Microsoft, where he serves as the Director for Mining, Oil & Gas. He specializes in driving AI-led transformations and cloud growth for Tier 1 clients. Colleagues and reports describe him as a thoughtful, structured, and insightful leader with great integrity, who has consistently delivered significant business turnarounds and growth at Oracle, Telstra, and IBM.

Interesting fact: At Microsoft, he secured over $320M USD in strategic services revenue in just 18 months by delivering AI-aligned, cloud-first solutions.

Personality Overview

Goal-Oriented

Risk Tolerant

Big Vision Person

They might take some time to make their mind up but once they do, they don't change it easily.  Reading between the lines and seeing beyond your words comes naturally to them. They are very professional in their approach and can weigh multiple perspectives together.

Topics They Care About

AI Transformation
His entire professional focus is on applying AI, GenAI, and Agentic AI to help companies in the resources sector innovate and scale with precision.
Mining & Energy Tech
He is deeply involved in modernizing the mining and energy industries, from enabling real-time data in remote operations to discussing innovation at industry events like BHP Invent.
Strategic Cloud Growth
He has a strong track record of accelerating commercial cloud growth, achieving a 25% CAGR over three years by leading end-to-end cloud transformation programs.

Media Appearances

Malcolm has no verified media appearances

Work History

2-2022
Director Mining & Natural Resources at Microsoft
7-2021 - 2-2022
Group Owner, Mining & Energy at Telstra
1-2019 - 2-2022
Head of State, Telstra Enterprise at Telstra
8-2017 - 1-2019
Senior Director and WA/SA GM at Oracle
7-2015 - 8-2017
Director, Industrial Sector at IBM

Education

1989 - 1992
B.Comm from Murdoch University
Education details unavailable from Australian Institute of Company Directors

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 29 Location : Australia Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Director Mining & Natural Resources at Microsoft
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Insights For Selling To Malcolm

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • Use phrases like 'your team deserves', 'best in class' etc.
  • Ask them at the end if they see a strong value prop in your product; expect an honest answer
  • Come across as a trustworthy professional and be respectful, they usually know their game

DONT's

  • Don't get into pricing discussions early on, steer conversation towards proven results
  • Avoid putting conscious effort into relationship-building
  • Don't take their patience for granted, avoid long-winding sermons

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Malcolm is

  • Strong proof of impact and their conviction will matter the most, but they wouldn't want to act unilaterally either
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Malcolm

  • They will say no if they are not convinced but you will have to prompt them.

Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Malcolm move?

  • They will want to understand things well but can move fast once they have a clear picture.
  • Can Malcolm take some risk or not?

  • They have good risk tolerance but are likely to think it through once or twice.

You And Malcolm

Personality Compatibility


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