Spotlight: CXO movements this week (May 4-10)

The week of May 4-10, 2024, was buzzing with several CXO movements in the tech industry, with some major appointments in key business positions. IT services firms like Tredence, F5 and SolarWinds made important new appointments, while non-tech firms like Kotak Mahindra Bank appointed a new boss to lead its digital affairs. Movements also happened in the National Payments Corporation of India. Here’s the roundup:

F5 gets new MD for India and SAARC region

Cloud security firm F5 has announced the appointment of Pratik Shah as the managing director for its operations in India and the SAARC region. Shah is responsible for driving the company’s growth strategy in these regions – bringing end-to-end solutions and competitive security offerings. Shah, who has been with the company since 2019, is being elevated from the post of Sales Director where he led the sales growth and managed the India enterprise business. He will succeed Dhananjay Ganjoo, who retired on May 3. Before F5, Shah was the banking, financial services and insurance (BFSI) lead at Palo Alto Networks. He has also worked with companies such as Juniper Networks, Extreme Networks, and Tyco Electronics, among others.

Tredence appoints new Chief Operating Officer

Tredence, a data science and AI solutions company, has announced the appointment of Munjay Singh as its new Chief Operating Officer. Singh brings a wealth of experience in technology consulting and will provide the strategic vision, leadership, and operational expertise necessary to expedite Tredence’s organic and inorganic growth strategies in his new role. An alumni of Indian Institute of Technology (Varanasi), he has previously worked in some major tech firms including his two tenures at Infosys — May 2001 to January 2013 at various posts and April 2019 to 2024 as senior vice president. Before that, he was chief executive officer of AXISCADES. Prior to this, Singh served with Persistent Systems for nearly five years. Other names included in his portfolio are Tata Steel, Tisco and Kanbay.

NPCI beefs up its information security team

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has recently made two key appointments in its Information Security team to reinforce its commitment to data protection and cyber security. Benjamin Ambrose has been appointed the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), while Pravin Kumar has taken on the role of Chief Market Information Security Officer. Ambrose, a Wipro and Amazon Web Services (AWS) veteran brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his new role. Kumar too comes with extensive experience spanning more than 25 years in cyber security, privacy controls, and enterprise risk management. These strategic hires are aimed at enhancing NPCI's information security practices, ensuring the safety and interests of both stakeholders and customers are well-protected.

Sukhdeep Singh Joins SolarWinds as Head of Channel Sales, APJ

IT management software firm SolarWinds announced the appointment of Sukhdeep Singh as the head of channel sales for Asia-Pacific and Japan (APJ). Singh is responsible for developing the region's SolarWinds channel business and strategic partner alliances, spearheading the company's ongoing channel strategy to grow SolarWinds’ regional presence in the IT operations management software business. With nearly three decades of industry experience across sales, business development, strategic planning, channel sales, and alliances, Singh joins SolarWinds to build and nurture a progressive partnering rhythm to set the base for cultivating an extensive channel partner ecosystem in APJ. Before joining SolarWinds, Singh held senior APJ executive positions with Oracle and Blue Yonder.

Firstsource appoints Hasit Trivedi as President & Chief Digital and AI Officer

Indian business process management company Firstsource has appointed Hasit Trivedi as President & Chief Digital and AI Officer, effective March 2024. Trivedi will be responsible for overseeing the scaling and deployment of the company's digital capabilities, including enhancing its platforms, data & analytics, automation, and AI ecosystem. With almost thirty years of experience in technology, Trivedi brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Firstsource Solutions. He is well-known for his contributions to artificial intelligence and has played a significant role in assisting leading Indian SIs in establishing and operating their AI, automation, and platform practices.

Kotak Mahindra Bank ropes in cybersecurity veteran Abhijit Chakravarty

Abhijit Chakravarty joins Kotak Mahindra Bank as the Executive Vice President for Networks & Cyber Security. Previously, he held the position of Senior Vice President for Core Networks & Security Operations at HDFC Bank. His extensive professional experience spans roles at Axis Bank, Reliance Jio Infocomm, Bharti Airtel, WNS, GTL, and Global Telecom Services.

Girish Kulkarni joins IIIT-Bangalore as CISO

Girish Kulkarni, the newly appointed Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), has recently become a part of the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Bangalore. Before this significant role, he held the position of an Information Technology Specialist at NIMHANS. Throughout his career, Girish has gained valuable experience working at various esteemed organizations such as Chinmaya Mission Hospital, M/s SVPIMSR, HIMSS Asia Pacific India, Simplified Healthcare, Cytecare Cancer Hospitals, Takshasila Healthcare, Columbia Asia Hospitals, and Value Point Systems.