Spotlight: CXO movement this week (Aug 19 — Aug 25) 

The week (August 19-25) was buzzing with several CXO movements in the tech industry with some of the major appointments in key business positions. IT services firms like Wipro appointed senior tech executives, while non-tech firms like Axis Bank, Porter and India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation also made new appointments in tech positions. Movements also happened in startups like BetterPlace. Here’s the roundup: 

Wipro appoints Brijesh Singh as SVP and global AI Head 

Technology services and consulting company Wipro Limited has appointed Brijesh Singh to senior vice president and global artificial intelligence (AI) head for Wipro Enterprise Futuring. In April, Wipro Enterprise Futuring, created as part of the company’s new business model to offer clients distinctly forward-looking solutions for large scale enterprise transformation. Singh brings to Wipro over 30 years of experience in the technology consulting space. He was previously a Senior Partner at Deloitte where he was responsible for driving AI and data-led transformation. Prior to that he worked as partner with Verizon Enterprise Solutions, senior director with Siemens and associate partner at IBM. (Read more) 

Porter appoints Amit Singh as director of technology 

Porter, a tech-enabled logistics company, has announced the appointment of Amit Singh as its new Director of Technology. In his new position, Singh will lead the company’s technological initiatives, which involves integrating cutting-edge advancements, including generative AI, SD WAN, automation, containerisation, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), edge computing, and ambient computing. Before joining Porter, Singh spent 2.5 years at Bharti AXA Life, where he held the position of deputy vice president and head of infrastructure and security. His expertise in industry-recognized transformations like SD-WAN and cloud technologies solidifies his reputation as a visionary in the technology sphere. (Read more) 

Axis Bank exec appointed as part-time chairperson of UIDAI 

Neelkanth Mishra, the chief economist and head of global research at Axis Bank has been appointed the part-time chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI). Mishra joined Axis Bank this year in May after his 20-year stint at Credit Suisse. He is also part of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EACPM). Mishra has served as an advisor in different committees including Indian Semiconductor Mission and the 15th Finance Commission. He is a computer science engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. (Read more) 

IMGC appoints Kanika Singh as Chief Risk Officer 

India Mortgage Guarantee Corporation (IMGC), a mortgage guarantee company, has announced the appointment of Kanika Singh as its new chief risk officer. In her new role as CRO, Singh will be entrusted with spearheading IMGC’s risk management operations. With a career spanning over 27 years, she brings extensive experience encompassing risk management, asset operations, risk analytics, and quality assurance across various banks and functions. Among the milestones in her career are associations with renowned institutions including Axis Bank, Citibank, ABN AMRO Bank, and HSBC. (Read more) 

BetterPlace appoints Ved Antani as chief product and technology officer 

Workforce management company BetterPlace has appointed Ved Antani as its chief product and technology officer. He will lead the company's efforts to become an artificial intelligence-optimised full-stack workforce management software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. Before joining BetterPlace, Antani was the general manager and vice president of engineering and product at Twilio, a company that builds communication application programming interfaces (APIs) and e-commerce platform Myntra as the vice president, specialising in fraud detection and prevention. (Read more) 

Viraj Patel joins Axis Bank as Senior Vice President 

Viraj Patel has joined Axis Bank as Senior Vice President for technology and digital operations. He joins from e-commerce company Flipkart where he served as Vice President of Engineering. He has over two decades of experience in the IT industry and earlier served as vice president technology with entertainment ticketing applications firm Bigtree Entertainment as well as BookMyShow. 

Infosys loses another top exec, Nageswar Cherukupalli quits after 21 years 

Indian IT major Infosys is undergoing a series of high-profile departures in its senior ranks, with Nageswar Cherukupalli, Senior Vice President and Head of Financial Services and Insurance, being the latest to step down after a 21-year tenure. In July, Vishal Salvi left his role as the chief information security officer (CISO) and head of the cyber security practice at the IT firm. Another senior executive, Narsimha Rao Mannepalli, who held the position of executive vice-president, also resigned. More recently, in August Richard Lobo, the long-time HR head and executive vice president of Infosys, also resigned, with his last working day with the company was said to be August 31. (Read more)

Ex-Citigroup International CIO joins Kore.ai to lead global operations

Enterprise conversational and generative AI firm Kore.ai, announced the appointment of Devendra Kumar (DK) Sharma as president and chief operating officer (COO). Sharma brings 30 years of experience in the technology and financial services industry has expertise in leading IT modernization and digital transformation projects. Earlier, he served as international chief information officer (CIO) at Citigroup International and on Kore.ai's board of directors for several years. In his current role, Sharma will lead Kore.ai's go-to-market functions, revenue growth, client success, strategy and cross-functional collaboration while driving overall operational excellence.