Spotlight: CXO movements this week (May 17-23)

The week (May 17-23) was buzzing with several CXO movements in the tech domain. IT companies such as HCL Technologies and Agivant Technologies, appointed industry leaders in key business positions. Non-IT companies such as Daimler Truck, Bharti AXA Life Insurance, Cleartrip and HDFC Life appointed tech executives to lead some of their IT and digital affairs. Here’s the roundup:

HCLTech appoints Kiran Cherukuri as GCC Practice leader

IT services firm HCLTech has appointed Kiran Cherukuri as the Global GCC Practice Leader. In this role, Cherukuri will help HCLTech scale its global capability centre (GCC) practice by bringing focused offerings based on the company’s services and technology portfolio, as well as corporate functions. Cherukuri has over three decades of experience. He has worked at HCLTech for over 14 years, across two separate stints. During his time at the Noida-headquartered firm, he contributed significantly to the Digital Foundation Services, Engineering and R&D Services, Industry Solutions and Talent Solutions. He successfully set up global delivery centres and managed business development, alliances, and marketing. Beyond HCLTech, Cherukuri has worked with Tech Mahindra and has also founded an AI-based consultancy services firm called TechEra IT. He holds a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering and a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Management. (Read more)

Raghavendra Vaidya becomes Daimler Truck’s new CIO

Commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck has named Raghavendra Vaidya as its new Chief Information Officer (CIO), with the appointment set to take effect from 1 June. He will take over from Marcus Claesson, who is stepping down from the role. Vaidya is currently the managing director and CEO at Daimler Truck Innovation Center India (DTICI), a captive unit in Bengaluru to support Daimler Truck AG research, IT & Product development activities. In 2016, Vaidya joined as Senior Vice President of IT at Mercedes-Benz Research and Development India, formerly known as Daimler AG. He has previously held several leadership roles at General Electric. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore, and a Master’s degree in Software Systems from BITS Pilani. (Read more)

Cleartrip appoints Manoj Awasthi as CTO

Online travel technology company Cleartrip has appointed Manoj Awasthi as its chief technology officer (CTO). In this role, Awasthi will lead the tech charter, building a more scalable and user-focused platform by bringing together engineering, data, and infrastructure. Before joining Flipkart-owned Cleartrip, Awasthi served as the chief technology and product officer at Julo, where he played a pivotal role in launching category-first fintech products and organised core technology and product engineering divisions to focus on core foundations of Infrastructure, Security, QA, and IT & Networks. Awasthi brings over two decades of expertise across engineering leadership, platform innovation, and digital transformation, and has also worked with Tokopedia and Adobe in the past. (Read more)

Former Infosys exec joins Agivant as Chief Digital Delivery Officer

Pune-based IT Services and consulting company Agivant Technologies has appointed Ajay Malgaonkar as Chief Digital Delivery Officer. Malgaonkar brings with him nearly three decades of experience in technology leadership. His most recent position was at Prolifics Corporation, a digital engineering firm located in the United States, where he spent a decade leading integrated engineering teams. During his time at Prolifics, Malgaonkar was instrumental in delivering transformative Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven solutions to a range of prestigious clients. Before his role at Prolifics, Malgaonkar spent a good 10 years at Infosys, where he oversaw the digital practice and successfully managed large-scale, complex e-commerce and digital transformation projects for major global enterprises across North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. (Read more)

Bharti AXA Life Insurance gets a new head of AI & Analytics

Bharti AXA Life Insurance has appointed Shweta Singh as Senior Vice President & Head – AI & Analytics at Bharti AXA Life Insurance. With nearly 20 years of experience in data analytics, digital transformation, and strategic innovation, Singh will spearhead Bharti AXA’s AI and analytics efforts, influencing the company’s data-driven trajectory. Previously, Singh held prominent leadership roles at Tata AIA Life Insurance, where she dedicated over two decades to advancing analytics, data governance, and customer value management. Her expertise encompasses business intelligence, consumer insights, sales technology, and digital strategy. With a solid background in integrating AI across business operations and a certification in Decision Science from IIM Bangalore, she offers a thorough and progressive perspective on data innovation.

Liminal Custody Solutions appoints a new CISO

Hilal Ahmad Lone has taken on the role of Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Vice President at Liminal Custody Solutions. With more than 17 years of extensive experience in information security, cloud infrastructure, and product security, Lone will direct Liminal’s cybersecurity strategy and improve its secure digital asset custody services. Prior to his tenure at Liminal, Lone held significant leadership roles at leading companies such as Razorpay, Dream11, Traveloka, Intuit, and HP. He has effectively led enterprise security initiatives, established robust security frameworks, and driven security transformation across fintech, gaming, and cloud-native sectors in India and Southeast Asia. His established expertise in threat modelling, data protection, and security architecture positions him as a strategic asset as Liminal continues to expand its secure infrastructure in the digital asset domain.

Chakradhar Mishra promoted to SVP – Enterprise Tech Group at HDFC Life

Chakradhar Mishra has been promoted to the role of Senior Vice President – Enterprise Technology Group at HDFC Life. With nearly two decades of experience in IT infrastructure, cloud engineering, and enterprise technology leadership, Mishra will now lead HDFC Life’s strategic technology initiatives to drive innovation, scalability, and operational excellence across the organisation. Over the years, Mishra has held key technology leadership roles at prominent financial institutions including PNB MetLife, Tata AIA Life Insurance, HDFC Bank, and Wipro.