New Delhi, July 4 -- The week (June 28-July 4) saw several CXO movements in the technology domain. IT companies such as Google Cloud, Persistent Systems, NTT Data and Rategain appointed industry leaders in key business positions. Non-IT companies such as TransUnion CIBIL, Data Safeguard, among others, appointed tech executives to lead some of their IT and digital affairs. Movement also happened in startups like MobiKwik. Here's a roundup:
NTT DATA appoints Alok Bajpai as India MD for its global data centre unit
IT services firm NTT Data announced the appointment of Alok Bajpai as the Managing Director for India within its Global Data Centres division. Previously, as the CFO of NTT Global Data Centres India, Bajpai was instrumental in propelling strategic initiatives and laying a robust financial groundwork for scalable growth. In his new role as Managing Director, he will supervise business operations and spearhead market expansion efforts throughout the region. Bajpai brings over thirty years of global leadership experience across various industries. With extensive expertise in operational restructuring, financial strategy, and mergers and acquisitions, he has held senior executive positions at companies such as AdaniConneX, CSS Corp, Intelligroup and Infosys. He is a Chartered Accountant in India and a Certified Public Accountant in the United States, and holds a graduate degree in management from Alliance Manchester Business School. (Read more)
Google Cloud appoints new India MD
Google Cloud India has appointed Sashikumar Sreedharan as its new managing director. Previously, Sreedharan was the chief operating officer of the Google Cloud APAC region. He has taken over the reins of this role from Bikram Singh Bedi, who was the India region MD for the last four and a half years. Bedi will now be shifting focus to strategic initiatives at Google Cloud APAC. In the past, Sreedharan has been at the helm of senior management positions at companies such as Microsoft, SAP, and Happiest Minds. Before Google, he was the MD of Microsoft India and led their enterprise business. As the India MD, Sreedharan will lead Google Cloud's go-to-market organisation in the country. He will be working with the company's enterprise and digital native customers, partners, and developer ecosystem. (Read more)
MobiKwik appoints Saurabh Dwivedi as CTO
Fintech firm MobiKwik has elevated Saurabh Dwivedi as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). He was earlier the senior vice president (engineering), a role he had been serving since August 2023. In his new role, Dwivedi will lead engineering for four divisions - payments, financial services, core platform, infrastructure and infosec. The goal for the company this year is to leverage AI as a growth catalyst. To this end, Dwivedi will spearhead initiatives like AI-assisted product development, efficient collections, and customer delight. With this, the company aims to scale faster, accelerate go-to-market, drive revenue growth, and expand margins through intelligent automation. Before joining the Gurugram-based firm, Dwivedi was the VP of engineering at traveltech platform MakeMyTrip. (Read more)
RateGain appoints Ashish Sikka to lead AI-driven platforms
RateGain Travel Technologies announced the appointment of Ashish Sikka as Senior Vice President and Business Head of UNO, the company's suite of artificial intelligence-led platforms aimed at the hospitality sector. In this role, Sikka will be responsible for the overall strategy, development and global adoption of the UNO products, which are designed to simplify and automate hotel operations. Sikka joins RateGain with more than 17 years of professional experience across strategy, transformation and business leadership. Before this role, he held senior positions at organisations including Ecom Express, OYO, Propstack and Kearney. Sikka completed his undergraduate studies at the College of Business Studies, University of Delhi, and holds an MBA from IE Business School in Spain. (Read more)
Persistent Systems names Shimona Chadha as CMO
Persistent Systems has named Shimona Chadha as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). She will lead the company's global marketing strategy, enhance brand positioning, and drive business growth through integrated marketing. Chadha brings over 20 years of experience from B2B, B2C, and B2B2C sectors, with a proven record in marketing-led business transformation. Previously, as VP and Head of North America Vertical Marketing at HCLTech, she helped drive revenue growth and built a Generative AI-powered marketing engine. Her prior leadership roles include positions at Vodafone Idea and Abbott, where she spearheaded customer-centric growth strategies. Chadha's work has been recognised with awards such as Forrester's Program of the Year 2025, the Stevie Award for Women in Business, and the Inspiring Women in Business award.
Anish Parulekar joins TransUnion CIBIL as chief data and analytics officer
Anish Parulekar has joined as the new chief data and analytics officer at TransUnion CIBIL Limited. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in data science, generative AI, customer personalisation, and risk analytics to the role. Parulekar will lead TransUnion CIBIL's data and analytics strategy, focusing on innovation in credit risk, customer engagement, AI-led personalisation, and operational intelligence to support India's financial ecosystem. Previously, as Senior Vice President II at Axis Bank, he led the Data Science, Generative AI, ML Ops, and Customer Personalisation CoE. Earlier, at Capital One in the US, he developed credit strategies and optimised marketing investments using advanced modelling.
Ashis Rout appointed Chief Delivery Officer at Data Safeguard
Ashis Rout has taken on the role of Chief Delivery Officer at Data Safeguard Inc. With over three decades of experience across IT governance, digital transformation, and enterprise data privacy, Rout will lead the end-to-end solution delivery for Data Safeguard's cutting-edge AI-powered privacy platform across global markets. Before this, Rout held senior leadership roles at leading financial institutions, including HDFC Bank, Centurion Bank of Punjab, Bank of Punjab, and ING Vysya Bank. His expertise spans IT governance, digital platforms, and compliance-focused data security, making him a key force in driving scalable and secure delivery frameworks.
Evernorth's Hyderabad tech hub gets a new head
Evernorth Health Services, a division of The Cigna Group, has appointed Prashanti Reddy Bodugum as Head of Evernorth India (Hyderabad Innovation Hub). Reddy brings over 26 years of global leadership experience in digital transformation, tech team development, and results-driven solutions across healthcare, retail, and financial services. She previously served as Vice President, GCC, at Walmart Global Tech and held senior roles at Optum, Capgemini, and GE. Notably, she transformed Walmart's Chennai centre into a high-impact tech hub delivering digital, analytics, and automation solutions. Ashok Venkatachalam, who until recently led the Hyderabad Innovation Hub for the past 15 months, will transition to a new role within Evernorth.
CoHyre.AI appoints two tech leaders to its Advisory Board
AI recruitment platform CoHyre.AI appointed technology leaders Santosh Pawar and Pankaj Bhatia to its Advisory Board to guide the company's global growth and innovation roadmap. Pawar, who most recently served as Senior Vice President of Engineering at JioHotstar, has spent over two decades shaping technology at leading digital platforms such as Flipkart and PharmEasy. Known for architecting scalable systems and leading engineering teams of over 130 professionals, he has driven critical initiatives across data platforms. Bhatia is also a startup mentor who is known for his hands-on leadership and commitment to sustainability and innovation. He has a track record of guiding emerging companies through complex challenges, leveraging AI to drive transformative outcomes.
NeevCloud appoints former VMware exec to head engineering
NeevCloud has appointed a former executive of VMware, Vijayakumar, as head of engineering and AI-led product development. Vijayakumar will be leading NeevCloud's Engineering and Product teams to build a full-stack AI ecosystem supporting the company's mission to democratise Artificial Intelligence by delivering an end-to-end AI platform that's accessible, affordable, and infinitely scalable. With nearly two decades of leadership experience, he previously worked as a Senior Engineering Manager at VMware, and prior held leadership roles at OVHCloud and Sify Technologies. A Computer Science graduate from Anna University and an MBA from Madras University, Chennai, Vijayakumar holds various certifications in virtualisation and cloud technologies. (Read more)
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from TechCircle.