New CxO Appointments in May 2021 [Updated List]

Here is an updated list of all important appointments in IT organizations in India for May 2021.

Here is an updated list of all important appointments in IT organizations in India for May 2021.

1. Samir Seksaria Takes Over as CFO of TCS Effective May 1

TCS has announced that Samir Seksaria will take over as the company’s Chief Financial Officer on May 1, 2021. He replaces V Ramakrishnan (`Ramki’) who retired from the services of the company on April 30, 2021. The Board of Directors, at its meeting held on April 12, 2021, had appointed Samir Seksaria as Chief Financial Officer.

He started his career in TCS in 1999 and spent his early years in consulting assignments involving regulatory compliance and M&A spin-offs, amongst others. He moved to Corporate Finance in 2004 and thus, played a critical role in the company’s IPO. Before this, he was heading the financial analytics, planning and business finance functions.

2. SMEcorner appoints Vinit Barve as Chief of Strategy and Investor Relations

Fintech startup SMEcorner has announced the appointment of Vinit Barve as Chief of Strategy and Investor Relations. Vinit has over 14 years of experience and thus, has acumen and knowledge in strategy and investor relations. In his current role, he will be responsible for the growth strategy and fundraising initiatives at SMEcorner.

Before joining SMEcorner, Vinit has served as an investment banker with Investec India. There, he headed the Fintech vertical and spent about 7 years. He also advised various clients in lending, insurance, insurance broking, and payments. Before Investec, he was a part of the BFSI Investment Banking team at Ernst & Young. Vinit holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from IIM Ahmedabad.

3. WizKlub on-boards Pankaj Bande (Jain) as Chief Technology Officer

Edtech startup, WizKlub, recently onboarded Pankaj Bande (Jain) as their Chief Technology Officer. Pankaj will lead the Product Design and Learning and Development Team at Wizklub. A technology enthusiast, Pankaj brings with him two decades of experience working at top IT companies like Wipro and Cognizant. He also enjoys making learning engaging and effective by leveraging technology.

In his previous role, Pankaj was the Senior Architect at Wipro building Conversation IoT Solutions for BFSI, Healthcare, Automotive sectors. Before Wipro, he was at Cognizant where he led the Digital Technology Office (DTO) in Enterprise Application Services. Pankaj has a passion for innovation using advanced technologies. He has also worked across IoT, Conversational AI, Blockchain, Mobile Robotics, hardware and software.

4. Edulyte Marketplace Appoints Abhinav Kumar as Chief Technology Officer

Edulyte marketplace has announced the appointment of Abhinav Kumar as the company CTO. Abhinav Kumar is a mobile technology leader with 21 years of experience in software development and technology innovation. He also has an in-depth understanding of business and technology solutions. Abhinav has also helped various enterprises to succeed in their digital transformation journey. The company has stated that as the CTO, he will build capacity in skill development. He will also make robust technology to provide a seamless experience to the students.

Abhinav had also gained experience in a wide array of new-age technologies for various industry sectors such as health care, banking and finance, retail, data analysis and business intelligence, travel and transportation, etc. Before this, he had worked with clients like Di-O-Matic, Red Giant, NDSSI, JPMorgan Chase, Big Bazaar, McDonald’s, and Bangkok Bank.

5. Jabra elevates Dr Amitesh Punhani as Head of APAC, Consumer Marketing

Office Solutions firm, Jabra has announced the elevation of Dr Amitesh Punhani as its Head of APAC, Consumer Marketing. In his new role, effective May 03, 2021, Amitesh will strengthen the company’s vision and brand leadership in the Retail & Online Channel. He will also drive market share growth across key geographies of the Asia Pacific region i.e. Australia, New Zealand, Japan, ASEAN, Hong Kong-Taiwan and India. Before this promotion, Amitesh was the Country Marketing Manager for India & SAARC region.

Amitesh has a PhD in Vibration and Control Systems and a Masters in AI from Ohio State University, USA. He also brings with him over 15 years of extensive experience across varied industries – Telecom, Consumer Technology and Consumer behaviour. In his last assignment, he handled the data and devices category for Bharti Airtel in India. Before that, he worked for companies like GAP and Rockwell Automation in the USA.

6. GetSetUp appoints Deval Delivala as Senior Vice President- International Markets

Social learning and engagement platform for older adults, GetSetUp has today announced that former senior leader at Uber, Deval Delivala, has joined the company as Senior Vice President of International Markets. The company stated that Delivala was one of the first 20 employees at Uber. She led the company's expansion across numerous international markets. In her most recent role, Deval was Head of Supply Growth for India. She has also led multiple initiatives, like enhanced safety, vehicle financing and Uber's leasing business.

At GetSetUp, Deval will drive the company’s international foray into several markets including India.

7. Rakesh Bhardwaj joins Ola as Global CIO

Rakesh Bhardwaj has joined Ola as Global CIO to provide strategic direction to Ola’s process and technology initiatives, which will cover the broad spectrum of Information Systems, Tools, Security, IT infrastructure & assets across the group. Previously, he was SVP and Global CIO at Cognizant and was responsible for IT services for the enterprise domains.

Bhardwaj has over 28 years of professional experience and has worked with companies like Microland Limited, GE Healthcare, and GE Capital in the past. He also holds an Engineering and an MBA degree.

8. SirionLabs Appoints CLM Industry Veteran Rajeev Kumar as Chief Revenue Officer

Contract lifecycle management startup, SirionLabs, has announced the appointment of Rajeev Kumar as Chief Revenue Officer. A seasoned leader in the enterprise technology space, Rajeev brings more than 20 years of experience in guiding clients on their digital transformation journey. Rajeev will spearhead SirionLabs’ aggressive market expansion plans. The company has also given him direct responsibility for sales, marketing and strategic partnership ecosystem.

Rajeev was a key member of the sales and executive leadership at Icertis. He headed the European region, where he played an instrumental role in accelerating Icertis’ market expansion.

9. AXA XL appoints Anish Jadav as CUO, Retail P&C, UK & Lloyd's market

AXA XL has announced the appointment of Anish Jadav as Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO), Retail Property & Casualty (P&C), UK & Lloyd’s market. At AXA XL, he will lead the development and execution of AXA XL’s Retail P&C underwriting strategy and optimising product offering and profitability. He will lead a team of underwriters in London and report to Luis Prato, Chief Underwriting Officer, UK & Lloyd’s market.

Jadav will join AXA XL from Zurich Insurance Ireland, where he has held the position of Chief Underwriting Officer since 2018. At Zurich, he oversaw underwriting for the company’s general insurance business in Ireland. He had previously been Chief Underwriting Officer for Zurich Insurance Singapore, Zurich's Asian hub for commercial insurance. Before that, Jadav has held several senior underwriting and actuarial roles in Zurich’s business in the United Kingdom.

10. VMware announces major appointments - Raghu Raghuram as CEO, Sumit Dhawan as Company President

Digital Infrastructure giant VMware has announced the appointment of Rangarajan (Raghu) Raghuram as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, effective June 1, 2021. Further, the company has announced Sumit Dhawan as the Company President. Moreover, Interim CEO, Zane Rowe, will continue as CFO and Sanjay Poonen, COO, Customer Operations has decided to leave VMware after his 7 years at the company.

11. Johnson Controls appoints Vijay Sankaran to new CTO role

Vijay Sankaran has joined Johnson Controls as CTO. In this new role, Sanjaran will be responsible for accelerating product software engineering development and expanding customer solutions through the OpenBlue digital platform. Further, he will report to George Oliver, Johnson Controls chairman, and chief executive officer.

Sankaran is a seasoned technology leader who was most recently CIO at TD Ameritrade. He led a team of 2000 employees with responsibility for digital strategy, software engineering, and technology operations.

12. RiT Tech announces appointments of Roopa Shivkumar, Girish Jain and Akshata More

IT infrastructure platform RiT Tech has announced the appointments for several positions as it aims to boost its growth in India. Appointed as RiT Tech Regional Sales Manager for the south region, Roopa Shivkumar has a huge experience in AIM and DCIM sales. She has worked with big names in the sector such as Schneider Electric, R&M, and TE connectivity.

To strengthen their pre-sales team, RiT tech has appointed Girish Jain as Pre-sales Manager for passive solutions. Girish also has vast experience in his field and has also worked with organizations like D-Link, Smart link, Schneider, and Athentha. The company has also appointed Akshata More in Mumbai to coordinate and provide better logistic and sales support to our customers.

13. India Electronics and Semiconductor Association announces appointments of new Executive Council Members for 2021

India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IESA) has announced the following appointments:

- Rajeev Khushu, Director of Corporate Affairs and Govt Relations, Texas Instruments as Chairperson of the Board of Directors & Executive Committee

- Vivek Tyagi, GM (BU Head), RP Tech India as the new Vice-Chairperson

- Ruchir Dixit, Country Manager, Mentor Graphics as the new Treasurer of IESA

The New Executive Council also includes GuruMoorthy Ganesan, Arm Embedded Technologies Pvt Ltd, Pradeep Vajram, AlphaICs India Private Limited, Venkata Simhadri, MosChip Technologies, Sunny Malhotra, Toyota Tsusho Nexty Electronics India Pvt. Ltd, Pradip Thaker, Marvell India Pvt Ltd, Dr Sreeram Srinivasan, Syrma Technology Private Limited, and Bhavna Sethi, Micron Technology.

14. Vodafone Idea Appoints Reema Jain as new Chief Digital Officer

Reema Jain will be the new Chief Digital Officer of Vodafone Idea, reporting to MD & CEO, Ravinder Takkar. As per Vodafone Idea, Jain will lead digital strategy, execution and adoption across the company. Over the last few months, the telco has seen a handful of senior-level executive exit the firm. These include ex-CTO Vishant Vora, former legal head Kumar Das, ex-brand officer Kavita Nair and Chief Technology Security Officer (CTSO) Amit Pradhan.

15. Ola appoints Rakesh Bhardwaj as Group CIO

Mobility Startup Ola has announced the appointment of Rakesh Bhardwaj as Group Chief Information Officer. In this role, Rakesh will provide strategic direction to the group’s IT initiatives. He will cover information systems, tools, security, IT infrastructure and assets across Ola’s global operations and businesses. Further, Rakesh’s appointment comes close on the heels of several other recent leadership hires at Ola.

16. TikTok C0Founder Rubo Liang takes over as company CEO as Zhang Yiming steps down

Zhang Yiming, the cofounder of TikTok parent company ByteDance, is stepping down as CEO. Zhang said ByteDance cofounder and HR chief Rubo Liang will transition into the CEO role over the next six months, the report noted. He wrote in the memo that Liang, whose most recent role at ByteDance was head of human resources, has been an invaluable partner; advancing the company’s technology and hiring and managing people. He further added that he would work with Liang over the next six months to ensure a smooth transition.

17. Educational Initiatives appoints Pranav Kothari as CEO

EdTech company Educational Initiatives has announced the appointment of Pranav Kothari as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Co-founder and current CEO Srini Raghavan will assume the role of Chief Mentor and continue to serve as a shareholder and board member.

Pranav has been associated with EI for over a decade and has made significant contributions to the company through his involvement with EI's adaptive learning product, Mindspark. As the head of HR, Gifted Student Education, he most recently held EI's Large Scale Education Programme division. Pranav is also a TEDx speaker and an INK Fellow and Corporate Social Intrapreneur of the Year in 2019 via the World Economic Forum's Schwab Foundation.

18. MamaEarth appoints Karan Bajwa as Vice President - HR

The parent company of MamaEarth, Honasa Consumer Pvt Ltd has appointed Karan Bajwa as Vice President, Human Resources. He has 8 years of experience across talent functions like Total Rewards, Business Partnering and HR Shared Services in companies across telecom and FMCG. MamaEarth has grown exponentially over the past few years and is expanding at a rapid rate. Adding Karan to the team is also a part of their plans to identify and implement long-term strategic talent management goals. With a post-graduation from SCMHRD, Karan has years of experience at Airtel and Reckitt under his belt.

19. Vodafone Idea appoints ex-Ericsson chief Sanjay Jolly as EVP-Technology

Vodafone Idea (Vi) has appointed Sanjay Jolly as Executive Vice President (EVP) – Technology, Hub Operations. “We’re delighted to welcome Sanjay Jolly to VIL. Sanjay’s in-depth experience in the Technology domain will help us strengthen our customer experience. Before VIL, he was Head – Customer Operations at Ericsson,” the company said in a statement.

“Sanjay has joined as EVP-Technology, Hub Operations at Vodafone Idea Limited. He is a seasoned professional and has diverse experience in heading large scale Customer operations, managing comprehensive Network rollout and Technology Transformation programs,” the company further added.

Other appointments:

Recently, ex-Jio chief Tanuja Rai Pradhan also joined VI as Head Consumer Insights in Marketing. Her new role incorporates understanding consumers and putting that in business strategies around the brand. She was Jio’s Head Special Projects, Consumer Insights and New Commerce Analytics. In recent appointments, Vi has named Vivek Jain as the EVP - Marketing and Mathan Babu Kasilingam as EVP- Technology Security.

20. Blackhawk Network has appointed Cory Gaines, as Chief Product Officer

Global payment provider, Blackhawk Network has announced product management and payments executive, Cory Gaines, as its Chief Product Officer. Gaines will lead Blackhawk’s continued innovation in payments products, including globalizing the company’s solutions, building upon its Pay4It™ suite and launching new innovative products to help partners drive scale, revenue and loyalty.

Gaines brings 30 years of experience in product development and management. Some names include Fortune 100 companies in the payments and financial services space, such as Visa, Citibank, Bank of America and PayPal. Further, in his new role, Gaines will report directly to Roche and will align closely with Blackhawk’s technology team, led by Chief Technology Officer Nik Sathe, to continue the company’s embedded payments growth within the global commerce landscape.

21. Mamaearth appoints Avinash Dhagat as Vice President – Operations

Mamaearth stands at the hilt of appointments. After appointing Karan Bajwa as VP-Hr, FMCG Startup Mamaearth has further appointed Avinash Dhagat as Vice President, Operations. In this role, he will be leading the operations and supply chain for the brand.

He has 15 years of experience across the Automotive and FMCG sectors. Recently, Dhagat served as the Head of Supply Chain at Loreal India’s consumer division. Over the years he has gained an in-depth understanding of Demand and Supply Planning, Inventory Management & Customer Service, in India and GCC markets. After graduating from NIT, Warangal, he pursued his master’s in supply chain and Logistics.

22. Anuj Kharbanda to lead Infopercept Consulting in the UK

Globally Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP) Infopercept Consulting has expanded its footprint and reach by entering the highly competitive and fast-growing U.K. market. With this, Infopercept now has a presence across India, the US, Sri Lanka, the Middle East, and Africa. The company also plans to cover the European Union from the UK.

Anuj Kharbanda would lead Infopercept UK. A highly qualified and experienced computer and network security professional, Anuj will provide clients with a world-class 24x7 Security Operations Centre, Security Optimization, Security Automation, and Offensive Security services.

Anuj also has a wide-ranging experience spanning software development, data analytics, data centre design and architecture, network security, cloud computing, identity and access management, and encryption, among others, in the IT industry. Further, holds a Bachelor’s degree in IT Engineering and an MSc in Computing and Security from King’s College in London.

23. Sunil Mittal to now lead CSS Corp as CEO w.e.f July 1

Consultancy firm CSS Corp has announced the elevation of Sunil Mittal as the organization’s next CEO. Sunil Mittal, currently the COO at CSS Corp will take up the new role effective July 1st succeeding Manish Tandon. Tandon has decided to step down after a successful stint at CSS. The company, in a statement, added that Sunil will also join the company’s Board in his new role.

Mittal has over 22 years of experience in the technology services industry. He spent 18 years at Infosys across multiple geographies; managing large client accounts, incubating new business capabilities, and building C-level relationships. He joined CSS Corp over four and a half years back. Further, in his roles at CSS, he managed global sales, marketing, presales, and account management. Recently, he took over as COO, where he assumed the responsibility of global client delivery and IT, and also his existing portfolio. He serves on several association boards, including the Partner Advisory Board of the Technology Services Industry Association. Sunil is also a member of the Forbes Business Council. He currently resides in Dallas, Texas.