Spotlight: CXO movement this week (Aug 5-Aug 11)

The week (August 5-11, 2023) was buzzing with several CXO movements in the tech industry with some of the major appointments in key business positions. IT services firms like Infosys, Honeywell and Tech Mahindra made new appointments, while non-tech firms like IndusInd Bank, Randstad, Anand Rathi Group and Batrixx announced key appointments in technology roles. Here’s the roundup:

Honeywell appoints Microsoft’s Anant Maheshwari to lead high growth region portfolio

Anant Maheshwari, the former president of Microsoft India, has been appointed as the president and CEO of Honeywell's high growth region portfolio. Maheshwari is set to assume his new role on September 4, and will succeed Ben Driggs, who moves to another leadership position within the company. Prior to re-joining the technology and manufacturing company, Maheshwari held the position of Head of Microsoft India for seven years. The announcement also comes only days after, Puneet Chandok, former Head of Amazon Web Services (AWS) India was appointed Microsoft India's chief, succeeding Maheshwari. (Read more)

IT veteran Shiv Kumar Bhasin joins IndusInd Bank as chief transformation officer

Technology veteran and former chief technology of National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), Shiv Kumar Bhasin, on Monday, has been appointed as chief transformation officer at IndusInd Bank. Bhasin stepped down from India’s leading stock exchange in June this year, where he served as executive vice president (EVP) and Group chief technology and operations officer (CTO-COO) for more than four years. In his new role as chief transformation officer at the bank, he will work directly with the MD-CEO’s office, with a mandate for technology and business solutions for the bank. (Read more)

Sushanth Tharappan to be Infosys' new HR head, replaces Richard Lobo

Infosys’ executive vice president and human resources head Richard Lobo has resigned from his role this month. Sushanth Tharappan replaces Lobo, who will move on to a special projects team under Chief Executive Officer Salil Parekh. An alumnus of Xavier’s Institute of Management and a mechanical engineer from the Manipal Institute of Technology, Lobo joined Infosys in 2000 and headed HR for some industry practices. Tharappan has been the head of Infosys’ leadership institute since 2019, and according to his LinkedIn profile, he is responsible for succession planning and executive development. (Read more)

Wipro appoints ex-ICICI Prudential CEO NS Kannan to its executive board

IT major Wipro has appointed NS Kannan to its Board of Directors for five years effective October 1, 2023. Kannan will serve as an Independent Director on the board. He brings three decades of experience in the financial services domain, including banking and insurance. He has recently superannuated as the managing director and chief executive officer at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co. Ltd. Kannan has served in various leadership roles in the ICICI group, including as Executive Director and CFO of ICICI Bank. He has also been part of various government and regulatory body committees. (Read more)

Randstad India gets new chief information officer

Randstad India, a human resource (HR) consulting firm appointed Anand Vaitheeswaran as chief information officer (CIO) for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. Vaitheeswaran comes with over 27 years of experience in delivering innovative technology solutions to key business problems for organisations across industries. His experience in driving strategy, managing principal partnerships, establishing and running innovation hubs, building organisational capabilities, managing digital engagements, and offshore teams will be a crucial asset for Randstad. (Read more)

SaaS company Boomi appoints Sean Wechter as chief information officer

Boomi, a US-based software as a service (SaaS) company, on Wednesday, announced the appointment of Sean Wechter as Chief Information Officer (CIO). A seasoned IT executive, Wechter will be overseeing Boomi’s critical IT infrastructure, security, data science, and enterprise systems. Boomi has a strong presence in India, with offices in Hyderabad, Bangalore and other cities. In March 2023, the SaaS company opened a new office in Bengaluru, India and also said it is looking to more than double its technical staff in India in the next 12 months. (Read more)

Kamal Goel returns to Anand Rathi Group as Executive VP of IT

After a gap of over three years, IT professional Kamal Goel has returned to the Anand Rathi Shares and Stock Brokers Ltd. as Executive Vice President of Information Technology. Goel previously served as Senior Vice President IT (Group CIO) in the Anand Rathi Group from December 2014 to March 2020. In the new role, Goel will be handling the entire IT department of the company. Earlier, he was associated with the company from December 2014 to March 2020. In this over five months of period, Goel managed the IT infrastructure of the company that consists a network of over 750 business locations spread in more than 500 cities and towns across the country. (Read more)

Tech Mahindra appoints new chief operating officer

Information technology services company Tech Mahindra has appointed Atul Soneja as the chief operating officer (COO), effective August 7. Soneja has 28 years of experience as a technology executive and is known for deep strategic expertise and driving business transformation in competitive market. He has held leadership positions in Infosys and its subsidiaries, managing different service lines in industries like financial services, retail, and manufacturing. He also led the AI and automation platform of subsidiary Edgeverve. His last held position was that of health tech services and solutions provider CitiusTech. Soneja holds a bachelor's degree in ocean engineering and naval architecture from Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. (Read more)

Battrixx appoints Yashodhan Pramod Gokhale as CTO

Battrixx, the battery division of Kabra Extrusion Technik Limited, has appointed Yashodhan Pramod Gokhale as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Gokhale's responsibilities will involve creating and executing business and sales strategies, establishing internal department processes, and consistently enhancing these processes. Gokhale has nearly two decades of experience and specialises in nano process development and optimisation, lithium-ion battery manufacturing and deployment in solar and telecom projects. He has earlier worked with companies like Tata Motors, Kalyani Power, Octillion Power Systems, and National Chemical Laboratory. (Read more)

Workspace interiors platform OfficeBanao gets a new digital head

Workspace interiors platform OfficeBanao has appointed Aman Agarwal as the Senior Vice President and Head of Digital Growth. In his new role, Agarwal will lead strategic initiatives to enhance digital awareness and acquire clients for the company, leveraging over a decade’s experience. Agarwal joins OfficeBanao from Airtel, where he worked for nearly two and a half years in key roles. In addition, he has also held positions at prominent companies including Flipkart, OYO, and Deloitte. (Read more)