Tsubasa Shiraishi succeeds Sunil Gopinath as Rakuten India CEO

Japanese internet conglomerate Rakuten Group on Tuesday named Tsubasa Shiraishi as the new Chief Executive Officer of its India arm, effective 5 August 2025. Shiraishi currently serves as Vice Chairman at Rakuten India and is General Manager of Rakuten Group’s IT Strategy Department. He will be succeeding Sunil Gopinath in his new role.

Outgoing CEO Gopinath has led Rakuten India since 2017 and is stepping down to pursue new opportunities. Under his tenure, the India centre expanded its strategic importance within the Group, contributing to key advancements in cloud, observability and platform technologies.
Shiraishi brings nearly two decades of international experience to the role and has been instrumental in driving Rakuten’s innovation agenda in India over the past five years. 

Rakuten India, founded in 2014, now comprises close to 2,000 professionals supporting the Group’s global operations across e-commerce, fintech, AI and ecosystem services. As CEO, Shiraishi has been mandated to focus on accelerating innovation, improving operational agility, and fostering closer ties with Rakuten’s global markets, the company said.

Rakuten Group CIO and CTO Akihito Kurozumi, who also chairs Rakuten India, welcomed the leadership change, expressing confidence in Shiraishi’s ability to drive the next phase of growth. “I am confident that under his leadership, Rakuten India will deepen its ties with the Rakuten Ecosystem and continue its unparalleled growth,” Kurozumi said.

Shiraishi, in a statement, said he was honoured to take on the role and looks forward to strengthening strategic alignment with the broader Group. “Together, we will unlock new opportunities that benefit our customers worldwide,” he said.

Rakuten’s India GCC, with offices in several cities, including two Bengaluru centres, manages nearly half of the company’s 70 global businesses. The company said in May is reportedly investing over $100 million to expand its India workforce. This expansion, part of a larger effort to scale global operations, modernise infrastructure, and deepen its focus on AI, will add to Rakuten's existing India team, 90% of whom are in technology roles, it said.