Spotlight: CXO movements this week (June 17-June 23)

This week (June 17-23) saw several CXO movements from the technology as well as non-technology sectors. Cyber security company Barracuda Networks has hired a new chief information officer (CIO). India’s Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has appointed a new chief executive officer and IT companies such as Uber and Xebia have also made new CXO appointments, while non-tech firms like Kimberly-Clark made important tech appointments this week. 

Meanwhile, Intel India head Nivruti Rai has resigned from the company after nearly three decades of being with the chipmaker. Here’s the roundup: 

Barracuda appoints Siroui Mushegian as its new CIO 

US-based Barracuda Networks, a provider of email and network security solutions, on Thursday, announced Siroui Mushegian as its new chief information officer (CIO). Mushegian brings more than two decades of IT leadership experience to the company. Mushegian joins Barracuda most recently from BlackLine where she served as the vice president of IT, and was responsible for all aspects of the company's internal corporate IT. She holds a master of business administration in management and strategy from Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business and a bachelor’s in mathematics and finance from University of Connecticut.  (Read more)

Xebia appoints Guido Bartels as Global Managing Director Cloud 

Xebia, a software development company, has appointed Guido Bartels as its new global managing director for cloud. This move comes as Xebia aims to further strengthen its position in the global market by leveraging the expertise of industry veterans like Bartels. In his new role, Bartels will focus on the advancement of Xebia's partnerships with leading cloud providers. His responsibilities include a broad range of cloud services, including multi-cloud consulting, cloud cost management, training, and managed services. He has worked with leading global companies such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and IBM prior to joining Xebia. (Read more)

Former Meta executive David Zakkam joins Uber as Director of Data Science 

Former Data Science Director of Meta David Zakkam has taken on a new position at technology company Uber Technologies. In his new role, Zakkam will be responsible for Uber's data science efforts, he will work to develop and deploy new technologies aimed at enhancing the quality of the company's products and services. A graduate from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta, Zakkam has previously held leadership positions at online food ordering and delivery platform Swiggy and data analytics firm Mu Sigma. (Read more)

Rajesh Gopal joins Kimberly-Clark as chief information officer for APAC 

American multinational personal care firm Kimberly-Clark has appointed Rajesh Gopal as chief information officer for the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. In his new role, Gopal will be responsible for driving the company’s technology and digital transformation and driving business growth in the region. With close to two decades of experience in the IT industry, Gopal has worked across multiple IT domains and business processes and led various digital and technology initiatives in companies like ITC Limited, L’Oréal, Unilever and more.  (Read more)

UIDAI appoints Amit Agrawal as CEO 

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has appointed Amit Agrawal as its chief executive officer. Agrawal is the 1993 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from the Chhattisgarh cadre. He takes over the reins from Saurabh Garg who was appointed in 2021. Agrawal is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (IIT-K). Before joining UIDAI, he was the additional secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). He has also worked at the Ministry of Finance as both additional secretary and joint secretary and with the Chhattisgarh government as the finance secretary and secretary in charge of commerce tax and technical education departments. (Read more)

NEC Corp’s Aalok Kumar joins ADB’s high-level advisory group on digital tech 

IT services provider NEC Corporation India’s chairman, president and CEO Aalok Kumar, who was promoted to corporate officer and senior vice president-head of global smart city business in February, adds another feather to his hat. The veteran has been appointed as a member of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) High-level Advisory Group on Digital Technology for Development. An alumnus of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Kumar brings nearly three decades of experience in senior leadership roles and has served as the senior vice president of McKinsey & Company and worked in GE Healthcare, GE Capital and ABN Amro Bank. (Read more)

Intel India head Nivruti Rai resigns after 29 years

Intel India Chief Nivruti Rai has resigned from the company after working for 29 years. She was the head of Intel's operations in India and vice-president of Intel Foundry Services. Rai, joined Intel as a design engineer in February 1994, rose through the ranks to become the head of Intel India and played a key role in the development of Intel Foundry Services. After working in the US till 2005, she shifted to Bengaluru assuming the role of senior director of chipset engineering and intellectual property development. Under Rai’s leadership, Intel India created a long-term framework of "cloud, network, edge-computing and devices" to support R&D, government and industry, and has launched programmes for skill training, rural connectivity, and the establishment of AI research centres. (Read more)