Spotlight: CXO movements this week (Aug 9-15)

The week (Aug 9-15) saw several CXO movements in the technology domain. Tech companies such as Microsoft, VDart and Icertis appointed industry leaders in key business positions. Non-IT companies such as Wow! Momo Foods and Shrimuktai Mart, among others, appointed tech executives to lead some of their IT and digital affairs. Movements also happened in global organisations like GitHub and FedEx. Here’s a roundup:

Icertis appoints Anand Subbaraman as CEO, Bodas steps down

IT software firm, Icertis, has appointed Anand Subbaraman as CEO, succeeding co-founder Samir Bodas, who becomes Executive Chairman. Bodas, as CEO for 15 years, grew Icertis from a startup to a leading enterprise software company with nearly $350 million in annual recurring revenue, establishing contracts as vital to digital transformation and forging key partnerships. As Executive Chairman, he will focus on long-term strategy and governance. Subbaraman, who joined Icertis as COO in 2023, brings over 25 years of enterprise technology experience from Oracle, BrowserStack, and Finastra. Previously overseeing core operations and the company's AI advancements, Subbaraman will now concentrate on scaling Icertis' AI-driven solutions and maximising the value of contracts as critical data assets. He holds an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad and a B.Tech from NIT Tiruchirappalli. (Read more)

VDart Digital gets new Chief Executive Officer

Technology consulting firm VDart Digital has announced the appointment of Mohamed Irfan Peeran as its new CEO. The appointment follows his tenure as Managing Director, a role in which he was responsible for the company’s growth strategy, broadening its service portfolio, and expanding into emerging markets, including the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and India. Peeran has vast experience in both public and private sectors. Before joining VDart Digital, he held senior positions with the State of Michigan, Ford Motor Company, and Peer Solutions Group Inc. In his new role, Peeran’s priorities include accelerating scalable and sustainable growth, strengthening long-term customer relationships, investing in talent development, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing the company’s brand positioning in global markets. Meanwhile, Sidd Ahmed, Founder of VDart, will continue in his capacity as Group CEO, overseeing the broader portfolio of businesses within the organisation. Peeran holds executive education credentials from Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth and Kellogg Executive Education, among other accolades. (Read more)

Wow! Momo appoints Nimish Chaudhary as CTO

Wow! Momo Foods, one of India’s largest homegrown quick service restaurant brands, has appointed Nimish Chaudhary as its new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) as part of its strategy to strengthen digital capabilities and prepare for future growth. Chaudhary joins from Jubilant FoodWorks, where he served as Vice President of Engineering and oversaw the scaling of the company’s technology operations. At Jubilant, he led the development of a next-generation food technology platform, created an in-house Android-based point-of-sale (POS) system, and worked on enabling a seamless omnichannel customer journey. Chaudhary’s career also includes senior roles at Publicis Sapient, where he led the North America Financial Services portfolio for clients such as Goldman Sachs, and engineering leadership positions at Cisco Systems and Avaya Inc. He is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (IIM-K). (Read more)

Sandiip Kothaari joins Shrimuktai Mart as CTO

Shrimuktai Mart has named Sandiip Kothaari as its CTO to align the company's technology roadmap with its business expansion plans. Kothaari, who announced the appointment on LinkedIn, will spearhead initiatives to strengthen digital capabilities for e-commerce growth, engage with private equity investors, and prepare for a potential IPO. He brings nearly 30 years of technology leadership experience across diverse sectors, including retail, manufacturing, and consumer goods. Kothaari has a proven record of implementing ERP systems, integrating e-commerce platforms, and introducing AI-driven analytics to drive revenue growth. His experience includes leadership roles at Speciality Restaurants, ORRA Fine Jewellery, Prince Pipes, Wonderchef, and others, where he focused on IT strategy, digital innovation, and enterprise transformation. Notably, at Prince Pipes and Fittings Ltd, he established an Industry 4.0-enabled plant and automated quality control processes using RPA and AI. Throughout his career, Kothaari has emphasised cross-functional collaboration, cost optimisation, and team development.

Rajiv Kumar is now CTO – ITES at Microsoft

Rajiv Kumar has been elevated to the position of Chief Technology Officer – ITES at Microsoft. He has nearly three decades of experience in AI, cloud, and enterprise transformation. He drives AI-first, cloud-centric innovation for IT/ITES, focusing on Copilot and Agentic AI. Previously, he led AI transformation programs at Microsoft. Earlier, at Google Cloud, he spearheaded UPI modernisation and AI solutions. Before Google, he grew Wipro's Azure business significantly. He has held prior roles at Airtel, MTS, and Aircel. Certified across Microsoft, AWS, and Google, Rajiv aligns tech with business results.

FedEx appoints a new tech chief

FedEx appointed Vishal Talwar as its new EVP and chief digital and information officer. Talwar will report to FedEx CEO and President Raj Subramaniam. Talwar joins the shipping giant after a decade-long stint at Accenture, where he most recently served as chief growth officer and senior managing director. Prior, he held a variety of roles at Wipro, Dell and IBM. The executive had been “heavily engaged” with FedEx’s ongoing digital transformation for nearly two years as part of his work with Accenture, FedEx said in the filing. Talwar replaces Sriram Krishnasamy, who left the role in July but will remain with the company in an executive advisor role until September 2025. Under Talwar’s leadership, the company plans to continue its digital transformation efforts, with a focus on data, AI, infrastructure and cybersecurity initiatives. 

GitHub Chief Executive Thomas Dohmke quits

GitHub Chief Executive Thomas Dohmke said earlier this week that he will leave the Microsoft-owned code-hosting platform to launch a new startup, capping a tenure that included a major push into artificial intelligence through the company's Copilot products. Dohmke, who moved to the U.S. from Germany more than a decade ago after selling his startup to Microsoft, said his "startup roots" prompted the decision. Before becoming CEO, Dohmke helped lead mobile developer tools at Microsoft and worked on GitHub’s acquisition alongside former CEO Nat Friedman. Microsoft acquired GitHub in a $7.5 billion all-stock deal in 2018. More than 150 million developers use GitHub's tools to build, maintain and collaborate on software projects.