Sridhar Vembu Steps Down as CEO, Shailesh Davey Takes the Helm

Sridhar Vembu the founder and CEO of tech giant Zoho Corporation has announced his surprising departure as chief executive officer (CEO) in an unexpected move. Zoho Corporation co-founder Shailesh Kumar Davey will lead the organization as group CEO in a major organizational transition.

Vembu made a platform transition announcement through X on January 27, 2025, that Says, “A new chapter begins today. Because of the various challenges and opportunities facing us, including recent major developments in AI, it has been decided that it is best that I should focus full-time on R&D initiatives, along with pursuing my rural development mission. I will step down as CEO of Zoho Corp and take a new role as Chief Scientist, responsible for deep R&D initiatives. Our co-founder Shailesh Kumar Davey will serve as our new group CEO.”

The move occurs as Zoho prepares to address growth-promoting opportunities and challenges that stem from significant artificial intelligence advancements. Vembu stressed that research and development represents the key to fueling future business expansion for the company and said, “The future of Zoho entirely depends on how well we navigate the R&D challenge. I am looking forward to my new assignment with energy and vigor. I am also very happy to get back to hands-on technical work.”

Shailesh Kumar Davey’s Journey to the Top

In his new position, Shailesh Kumar Davey brings extensive experience from his tenure at Zoho Corporation as co-founder. Before becoming CEO he worked at ManageEngine as Vice President of Engineering.

During the company's early stage, Davey took a main role in designing and developing rapid application tools specific to network management requirements. Under his leadership, the company has created advanced network management solutions that benefit manufacturers in the device and OEM sectors. Today he directs his efforts toward solving major data management issues at the same time he works with the organization to implement engineering processes.

The IIT alumnus Davey holds a BTech in Metallurgy from 1992 as well as an MTech in Industrial Management from IIT Madras which provides him excellent alignment with Zoho's strategic direction.

A New Era for Zoho Corporation

AdventNet formed in 1996 has evolved into a premier software development company that operates from its base in Chennai. The company's strategic move to place research and development and innovation at the forefront now continues under the direction of Chief Scientist Vembu.

In addition to Davey’s appointment, Vembu also announced updates to Zoho’s leadership structure:

• Tony Thomas will lead Zoho US.
• Rajesh Ganesan will oversee the ManageEngine division.
• Mani Vembu will head the Zoho.com division.

Zoho demonstrates its dedication to adaptability and innovation through this particular organizational leadership change at a time when technological advancements remain swift. In his new position, Vembu has set goals for Zoho to expand research investments over sustaining its core technological business operations.

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