Spotlight: CXO movement this week (Oct 14 — Oct 20)

The week (October 14-20) saw several CXO movements in the tech industry with some of the major appointments in key business positions. IT firms like Wipro, Birlasoft, Ensono and Commvault, made important new appointments, while non-technology firms like Jio Financial Services, Dilip Buildcon and Syngene International also appointed new technology executives. Here’s the roundup: 

Birlasoft appoints Selvakumaran Mannappan as COO 

IT services firm Birlasoft appointed Selvakumaran Mannappan as chief operating officer (COO). In this role, Mannappan will leverage state-of-the-art technologies to drive strategy and deliver value to the customers. An industry veteran, Mannappan has nearly 30 years of experience in the IT industry. In his previous role, he was the delivery head of BFSI-Americas (Banking, Financial Services & Insurance) at Cognizant Technology Solutions. Indian Institute of Technology. After completing masters in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, Mannappan completed MBA in finance and project management from the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University, US. (Read more) 

Wipro’s Ayaskant Sarangi joins Mphasis as Global CHRO 

IT services company Mphasis has appointed Ayaskant Sarangi as its new Global Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO). Sarangi will join the Executive Council and report directly to Nitin Rakesh, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Mphasis. Before joining Mphasis, Sarangi served as CHRO at Wipro Enterprises, where he led human resources functions. He also held various HR leadership roles at Wipro Technologies. In his new role, Sarangi will spearhead Mphasis's global human resources strategy and operations, overseeing talent management, recruitment, leadership development, and all aspects of HR operations. Sarangi holds a bachelor's degree in engineering from NIT Surat and a master's degree in human resources from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. (Read more) 

Former ICICI Bank exec joins Jio Financial Services as Group CTO 

Jio Financial Services Limited has appointed AR Ganesh, former ICICI Bank executive, as the Group Chief Technology Officer. Ganesh officially assumes this role as part of the Senior Management Personnel (SMP) of the company from October 16, 2023. Prior to this, he was the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) at ICICI Bank where he held responsibility for cybersecurity for 13 years. In his most recent role, he served as the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), where he held responsibilities for cybersecurity. Before assuming the position of CISO, he led the Treasury and Corporate Centre Technology division. In his 30-year career, Ganesh has overseen numerous transformative projects. He has a proven track record of leading large and diverse teams. His expertise spans various domains, including Cybersecurity, Enterprise IT, Service Delivery, and Banking Software product management. 

Ashok Piramal Group Satyanarayana Kasturi joins Dilip Buildcon as CIO 

Satyanarayana Kasturi has joined Bhopal-based construction and infrastructure development company Dilip Buildcon Limited as Chief Information Officer. He joins from Ashok Piramal Group, a business conglomerate with diversified business interests in real estate, textiles, auto components, and renewable energy, where he served as Group Head IT. He was earlier associated with Essar Projects Limited, Vandana Global, Wockhardt Limited And Lupin Limited. Kasture has nearly 30 years of experience in developing and maintaining efficient and economic IT infrastructure to achieve business growth. He has a proven track record of facilitating smooth execution of high visibility projects across USA, Ireland, France, and Zimbabwe. 

Syngene International appoints Cipla’s Sanjay Nandavadekar as AVP-IT 

Syngene International, a subsidiary of the biopharmaceutical major Biocon, has appointed Sanjay Nandavadekar as Associate Vice President of IT and Head of IT for Discovery Services. He will lead the IT function and contribute to the organization's digital strategy. Before joining Syngene International, Nandavadekar was the Senior Director of IT at pharmaceutical company Cipla. With over 25 years of experience, including 17 years in the pharmaceutical industry, Nandavadekar has a proven track record in crafting digital strategies, developing scalable infrastructure, and aligning IT with business objectives. (Read more) 

Veena Khandke elevated to the post of Ensono India’s managing director 

Mainframe and managed services provider Ensono has appointed Veena Khandke as its India managing director. Khandke was previously the vice president of service delivery at  Ensono India and in the new role, she will build partnerships with global business leaders and execute strategies to scale Ensono’s India business. She will also oversee the organisation’s business operations, driving financial performance and building a leadership pipeline in India. A seasoned professional, Khandke has wide experience in the operations and transformation space with special focus on the banking and financial services institutions (BFSI) and information technology (IT) sectors. In the past, she has worked with companies like Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank, and Citibank leading varied roles across operations, technology, and client servicing. (Read more) 

Commvault appoints veteran security leader Alex Janas as Field CTO 

Commvault, a firm specialising in enterprise data protection, announced the appointment of veteran security leader Alex Janas as its Field Chief Technology Officer. In this role, Janas will oversee security initiatives, leveraging his extensive background to foster an ‘offensive security posture' to better equip customers against persistent autonomous threats, said a senior executive from Commvault. With nearly two decades of cybersecurity expertise in the private sector, besides the offensive security acumen honed at the National Security Agency (NSA), a crucial United States government agency focused on global monitoring, collection, and processing of information for foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence, Janas is well-poised to navigate the complex security landscape.