Indian-Origin AWS Specialist Recognized for Advanced Role in Cloud Infrastructure

In the global cloud-native ecosystem, the stability of large-scale digital platforms often depends on a relatively small group of infrastructure specialists. Hardeep Singh Tiwana, a Senior Technical Account Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS), is among those advising major organizations on the transition to and operation of mission-critical Kubernetes environments. His work recently gained wider international visibility following his recognition as a Golden Kubestronaut, a distinction currently held by a limited number of practitioners worldwide.

A Rare Global Benchmark of Proficiency The Golden Kubestronaut designation is earned through a sequence of performance-based examinations administered by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and the Linux Foundation. Unlike tests that focus primarily on theory, these assessments require candidates to demonstrate hands-on proficiency in Kubernetes security, administration, application development, observability, and platform operations within simulated production environments.

According to CNCF program figures, Tiwana is among the first 200 professionals globally to complete this full sequence. Notably, at the time of his recognition, he was reported to be one of only two AWS employees worldwide to hold the combined credential, a statistic that underlines the selectivity of the program. His achievement was publicly acknowledged at KubeCon North America 2025 in Atlanta before an audience of approximately 10,000 cloud-native practitioners, providing visible confirmation of his standing among international peers.

Individual Impact on Global Enterprise Systems Tiwana’s impact on enterprise infrastructure was established during his tenure as Director of Hybrid Cloud Engineering at Gap Inc.. In that role, he was responsible for leading modernization efforts affecting core systems that support the global apparel retailer’s operations across multiple regions.

Under his leadership, key supply-chain workloads were migrated from legacy environments to modern platforms, and he played a central role in initiatives to consolidate data centers across North America, Europe, and Asia. Gap Inc. has reported that its broader modernization efforts during this period resulted in approximately 50 million dollars in cost savings over multiple years. These changes were implemented while maintaining continuity for store and e-commerce channels, a priority for a retailer managing thousands of outlets and high volumes of online transactions.

Influencing Emerging Cloud-Native Practice Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Tiwana has contributed to cloud-native practice through published guidance and training. He co-authored a technical guide on the AWS Containers Blog that sets out options for organizations migrating from AWS App Mesh to Amazon VPC Lattice on Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (EKS). The guide has been adopted as a reference by engineering teams seeking to reduce operational risk in complex cloud environments.

Tiwana also designs and delivers workshops on Karpenter-based cluster scaling and cloud cost optimization, training engineers responsible for operating production workloads at scale. His progression from leadership roles at a global retailer to a senior advisory position at AWS illustrates how Indian-origin professionals are contributing to the development and operation of the world’s large-scale digital infrastructure.