The top leadership appointments this week highlight how India’s CIOs and CTOs are driving enterprise digital strategy, strengthening cybersecurity frameworks, and enabling technology-led growth in 2026. At CXO Junction, we track major C-suite leadership movements and executive appointments shaping banking, media, and FMCG sectors across India and the Middle East. These CXO appointments reflect ongoing digital transformation, enterprise IT modernization, and strategic technology leadership initiatives across industries.
Kotak Mahindra Bank Appoints Nilesh Chaudhari as Chief Technology Officer
In a significant leadership appointment in India’s banking sector, Kotak Mahindra Bank has appointed Nilesh Chaudhari as its new Chief Technology Officer. This strategic CTO appointment reinforces the bank’s commitment to advancing its digital-first vision and strengthening enterprise technology capabilities in an increasingly competitive financial services landscape.
As part of this senior C-suite appointment, Nilesh Chaudhari will lead the bank’s enterprise technology strategy, oversee large-scale digital and core banking transformation initiatives, and drive innovation across payments, data, and platform modernization. His role will focus on enhancing system resilience, cybersecurity frameworks, and operational efficiency—key pillars in modern banking technology leadership. He will also play a crucial role in enabling seamless and secure digital experiences for customers and business stakeholders.
With nearly three decades of experience in global banking technology, Nilesh Chaudhari brings extensive expertise from leadership roles at Barclays, JPMorgan Chase & Co., IDFC Bank, and Citi. His background spans payments of modernization, retail and wholesale banking systems, and large-scale global technology delivery programs, experience that aligns with the growing demand for resilient and future-ready enterprise technology transformation.
This latest executive appointment underscores Kotak Mahindra Bank’s focus on digital innovation and scalable infrastructure as it continues to strengthen its position in India’s evolving FinTech and financial ecosystem.
LinkedIn link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nchaudhari/
Dr. Joseph George Appointed as Chief Technology Officer at Ajman Bank
In a notable leadership appointment in the Middle East banking sector, Ajman Bank has appointed Dr. Joseph George as its Chief Technology Officer. This strategic CTO appointment marks an important step in the bank’s ongoing digital transformation journey and reinforces its commitment to strengthening technology leadership within the Islamic banking landscape.
As part of this key C-suite appointment, Dr. Joseph George will lead Ajman Bank’s enterprise technology strategy, oversee digital and core banking transformation initiatives, and enhance data and platform modernization efforts. His mandate includes improving operational efficiency, strengthening cybersecurity frameworks, and building resilient digital infrastructure to support scalable, customer-centric Islamic banking services.
Dr. Joseph George brings extensive experience across banking, digital, and IT leadership roles in the region. Prior to joining Ajman Bank, he served as Group Chief Digital and Information Officer at Doha Bank, and earlier as CIO and Head of IT at National Bank of Fujairah. He also held senior technology leadership roles at Commercial Bank of Dubai, where he contributed significantly to modernizing enterprise IT architecture and advancing digital banking capabilities.
With deep expertise in enterprise IT modernization, digital banking innovation, and large-scale transformation programs, his appointment reflects broader executive movements shaping the region’s financial services sector. This leadership change positions Ajman Bank to further accelerate innovation, enhance technology resilience, and strengthen its competitive edge in Middle East banking.
LinkedIn link : https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-joseph-george-532258a/
Amit Waghmare Appointed as CIO at Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.
In a notable leadership appointment within India’s media and publishing industry, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. has announced the appointment of Amit Waghmare as its Chief Information Officer. This strategic CIO appointment reflects a broader trend of executive movements across India Inc., where organizations are strengthening their enterprise technology leadership to drive digital-first growth.
As media companies navigate rapid digital disruption, this C-suite appointment positions Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. to further accelerate its digital transformation journey. In his new role, Amit Waghmare will lead the company’s enterprise IT strategy, spearhead digital modernization initiatives, and oversee platform, data, and infrastructure transformation. His mandate includes strengthening IT governance, enhancing cybersecurity and system resilience, and enabling scalable digital capabilities that support evolving consumer engagement models.
With over two decades of experience in enterprise IT and technology leadership, Amit Waghmare brings cross-industry expertise spanning media, retail, manufacturing, and consumer businesses. Prior to this senior executive appointment, he served as Group Chief Information Officer at DB Corp. Ltd., where he played a key role in IT transformation initiatives. He has also held senior leadership positions at Page Industries Ltd., VIP Industries Limited, Inorbit Malls (India) Pvt. Ltd., and Encore Healthcare Corporation, driving enterprise systems modernization and operational efficiency programs.
His appointment underscores the growing importance of enterprise IT strategy, technology-led growth, and digital innovation leadership in the media sector. As organizations increasingly invest in data-driven platforms and scalable infrastructure, leadership changes like this highlight how technology leadership continues to shape long-term enterprise strategy.
LinkedIn link : https://www.linkedin.com/in/amit-waghmare-89a0035/
Suvendu Sarkar Appointed as Chief Information Officer at Sona Biscuits Limited
In a significant leadership appointment in India’s FMCG sector, Sona Biscuits Limited has appointed Suvendu Sarkar as its Chief Information Officer. This strategic CIO appointment reflects the company’s commitment to strengthening its enterprise IT capabilities as part of its broader digital transformation and technology-led growth strategy.
As part of this key C-suite appointment, Suvendu Sarkar will lead the organization’s overall IT strategy, oversee enterprise systems modernization, and drive digital initiatives across manufacturing, supply chain, and core business operations. His mandate includes enhancing ERP platforms, enabling data-driven decision-making, and building secure, resilient technology infrastructure to support scalability and operational excellence in a competitive FMCG landscape.
Bringing nearly three decades of experience in information technology and enterprise systems, Suvendu Sarkar has deep expertise in SAP implementations, infrastructure management, and large-scale IT transformation programs. Prior to this senior executive appointment, he held senior technology leadership roles at Rupa And Company Limited and served as Chief Technology Officer at AchieveX Solutions Private Limited. He also spent over two decades as Group CIO at Dream Bake Pvt Ltd, where he led SAP rollouts across group companies and built enterprise-wide IT ecosystems—demonstrating strong expertise in manufacturing-focused digital transformation.
This latest executive appointment highlights the growing importance of technology leadership in the FMCG and manufacturing sectors, where enterprise systems, supply chain digitization, and data-led decision frameworks are becoming critical drivers of sustainable business growth.
LinkedIn link : https://www.linkedin.com/in/suvendu-sarkar-b9050632/
These executive appointments reflect how technology leadership continues to shape enterprise strategy across industries. Stay tuned as we bring you the latest CXO movements and leadership updates driving digital transformation forward.
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