Spotlight: CXO movements this week (Feb 17—23)

The week (February 17-23, 2024) was buzzing with several CXO movements in the tech industry with some of the major appointments in key business positions. IT firms like Pure Storage, Hitachi Vantara made important new appointments, while non-tech firms like Waaree Energies Group, Indian Oil, Karnataka Bank and Mirae Asset Global Investments also recruited senior executives in technology roles. Movements also happened in Indian Institute of Technology Madras. Here’s the roundup:

Pure Storage appoints Fredy Cheung as area vice president for Asia

IT storage services provider Pure Storage has named Fredy Cheung as the Area Vice President for Asia, covering ASEAN, Greater China, India and Korea. Based in Hong Kong, Cheung will take charge of sales operations in the region, working closely with Pure Storage’s growing customer base to utilise the company’s innovative and sustainable all-flash solutions that can be consumed as-a-service for business advantage. With over two decades of experience in leadership roles at technology giants such as Cisco and 3Com across various Asian regions, his strong track record in building high-performing teams, guiding end-user organisations on their digital transformation journeys and nurturing highly motivated channel partners have earned him wide respect in the industry. The company believes that Cheung's expertise will be pivotal as Pure Storage capitalises on its growth momentum in the area. (Read more)

Nishant Pradhan appointed as chief AI officer at Mirae Asset

Asset management company Mirae Asset Global Investments has appointed Nishant Pradhan as the chief artificial intelligence (AI) officer. The former Axis Bank executive announced it through a post on professional networking website LinkedIn. “Happy to inform that I’ve joined as “Chief AI Officer” at Mirae Asset which is one of the largest independent financial groups in Asia, providing comprehensive services to clients worldwide. Looking forward to making an impact in this innovative firm as well as the larger industry & society by leveraging AI in the right manner,” Pradhan wrote in his post. Before Mirae Asset, Pradhan was the analytics head for the digital bank arm of Axis Bank. He has also worked with companies like Fidelity Investments, Wipro, Oracle, and Infosys. He also MBA degree holder from Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, where he specialised in quant finance, data, and analytics. (Read more)

Hitachi Vantara names Ayman Abouelwafa as Chief Technology Officer

American data storage and management company, Hitachi Vantara, has appointed Ayman Abouelwafa as its new chief technology officer. In this role, Abouelwafa will be responsible for identifying and evaluating emerging technologies and executing a forward-looking roadmap that aligns with the business strategy. Abouelwafa reports directly to Sheila Rohra, the company’s chief executive officer, and will serve on the company’s executive committee. A nearly 30-year storage and technology veteran, Abouelwafa was most recently the CTO in the Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) storage group responsible for driving the commercialisation of technologies and intellectual property, managing strategic research, and leading advanced development programs focused on next-generation data storage platforms and software. Abouelwafa has multiple patents and publications covering a variety of storage systems architecture and technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in computer control, a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer engineering, and a Master of Business Administration.

Waaree Energies Group appoints new chief information officer

Waaree Energies Group has appointed Avadhut Parab as the chief information officer (CIO). Waree Group operates in the renewable energy sector with special focus on solar manufacturing capability. The company offers engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) services. Commenting on his appointment, Parab said that he is excited about the “possibilities that lie ahead and the transformative impact” by using technology and leveraging digitisation, as per an Express Computer report. Parab is an industry veteran with an experience of close to three decades. In his last held position, he was the chief information officer at Parle Agro where he served for two years. He has also worked for companies like Wockhardt, Atos, and Unichem. Parab also holds a doctorate in management research, along with an MBA. (Read more)

IIT Madras appoints new chief for CoE Sports Science and Analytics

Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has appointed Ramesh Kumar, former ESPN Vice President, as its new CEO of the Center of Excellence in Sports Science and Analytics (CESSA). He will lead the CESSA in its mission to drive innovation in sports technology globally. CESSA, based at IIT Madras, aims to enhance athlete performance and cater to general fitness and health consumers through innovative sports technology products and solutions. The centre will also engage with sporting federations to increase fan engagement and establish an incubator ecosystem for Sport Tech start-ups. Kumar brings over three decades of industry experience, including a significant tenure with the Tata Group and 24 years in the sports industry, leading digital innovation for ESPNcricinfo and overall strategic leadership for ESPN in India and South Asia. (Read more)

Other CXO appointments

Suresh Nambiar has started his new position as Executive Director (Information Systems) at Indian Oil. He was the company’s Chief General Manager before to this.

Venkat Krishnan V has joined Karnataka Bank as CIO. Before this, he was Chief Technology Officer at IndusInd Bank. He was earlier associated with Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Utkarsh Small Finance Bank, Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait, Edelweiss Tokio Life Insurance, Yes Bank, Dhanlaxmi Bank, HSBC, Reliance General Insurance and ICICI Bank.