Spotlight: CXO movement this week (July 29-Aug 4)

The week (July 29-Aug 4) saw several CXO movements in the tech industry with some of the major appointments in key business positions. Global technology companies like Qualcomm, Microsoft and Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have made new CXO appointments this week, while non-tech companies like Trident Group, Thermax, Pocket FM, and Porter have also hired in senior technology roles. Here’s the roundup:

Qualcomm appoints Savi Soin as India head, Rajen Vagadia moves to a global role

US chipmaker Qualcomm has appointed Savi Soin as the President of Qualcomm India. He succeeds Rajen Vagadia, who takes on a global role. Soin who has been with Qualcomm for more than 20 years and served in various leadership positions, will now report directly to Jim Cathey, chief commercial officer, Qualcomm Technologies. Most recently, he headed the strategy and business development at Qualcomm Technologies’ semiconductor division. Meanwhile, Vagadia, the outgoing Qualcomm India President who served as the President for the last five years, will move to the company's headquarters in San Diego. He will take on a new role as Vice President to lead Global Distribution and Global Carrier Strategy. (Read more)

Microsoft appoints former Amazon executive to lead India operations

Microsoft announced the appointment of Puneet Chandok as the corporate vice president for India and South Asia, effective 1 September. Chandok would be taking over the operational responsibilities from Anant Maheshwari, who stepped down from the company after nearly seven years. Chandok will lead the company’s India and South Asia business, working with enterprises, startups, and small and mid-sized businesses. He will also oversee the integration of the company’s businesses across South Asia, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Chandok joins Microsoft from Amazon Web Services (AWS) where he worked for over four years leading the company’s India and South Asia business. (Read more)

TCS promotes Harrick Vin as CTO, revamps group structure under new CEO

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has appointed Harrick Vin as its new chief technology officer (CTO), replacing K Ananth Krishnan who will retire in October this year. Prior to this role, Harrick headed TCS Digitate, a TCS venture that has partnered with Arrow to resell its ignio suite of AI-driven software for autonomous IT operations. Vin, a TCS fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering (INAE), has been with the Tata Group company since July 2005 when he joined as a vice president and chief scientist. A distinguished Alumnus of IIT Bombay, Vin was earlier a professor of computer sciences at the University of Texas at Austin for 15 years. He has also authored more than 125 papers in leading international journals and conferences, as well as filed for 45 patents. (Read more)

Pocket FM appoints ex-Netflix exec as director of AI

Gurugram-based Pocket FM has appointed Pannagadatta K Shivaswamy as the director of artificial intelligence (AI). Shivaswamy will head the company’s AI initiatives and will work with the engineering and content teams to develop and deploy advanced AI models and improve audio content discovery and engagement. Shivaswamy was a machine learning scientist at Netflix before joining Pocket FM. He has also worked with companies such as LinkedIn and AT&T Research. A doctorate of philosophy (PhD) in computer science from Columbia University, Shivaswamy also has a master’s degree in systems science and automation from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. (Read more)

Porter names Shruti Ranjan Satpathy as chief product and technology officer

Logistics firm Porter has named Shruti Ranjan Satpathy as chief product and technology officer (CPTO). Satpathy joined the company in June 2015 as data scientist and in his last role, he was serving as the CTO of the company since 2021, overseeing the engineering arm of Porter. In his new role as CPTO, he will be taking charge of the product, data, and design functions. Satpathy has completed his bachelors and masters in computer science from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and has over a decade of experience in organisational design and engineering architecture. Earlier, he worked with Microsoft and payments solutions company RocketFuel. (Read more)

Narayana Karanam starts new position as CIO at Trident Group

Narayana Karanam has been promoted to chief information officer (CIO) at Trident Group, a $1 billion Indian conglomerate with a global presence in home textiles, paper and chemicals. Karanam was earlier heading information technology at the company’s paper division since April and got promoted within three months of his joining the conglomerate. Karanam has over two and a half decades of work experience in technology implementation and has worked across sectors including agriculture, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, food, retail, distribution and public sector companies. He had earlier held senior positions at Kenyan sugar processing firm West Kenya Sugar Co. Ltd, Hyderabad-based Keyush Consulting, besides, Netafim Irrigation India, IFS Solutions and UTI Bank. (Read more)

Telerad Group appoints Madhusudhan KM as CTO

Bengaluru-based Telerad Group, a provider of remote radiology services, has appointed Madhusudhan KM as the new CTO. He will be responsible for crafting a comprehensive technology strategy, analysing market trends, and adopting emerging technologies at the company. He will lead the technology team, fostering collaboration and driving innovation to optimise processes and ensure regulatory compliance. With over three decades of experience in the IT industry, Madhusudhan has held several leadership positions in Alfaive, Mindtree MISys and Singapore Airlines amongst others.

Jagdeep Singh joins Thermax as Group CISO

Jagdeep Singh has joined Pune-based Thermax Limited, a conglomerate providing sustainable solutions in energy and environment, as its group chief information security officer (CISO). He joins from Carrier where he served as Head of Digital Innovation Labs, India. He was earlier associated with real-time payments company NIUM, technology firm Rakuten India, consulting major PwC and IT services provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Singh has a decade of experience in information security with expertise in running large Information security programs, aimed at building robust information security posture for organisations.