Industry Update: Leadership Movements of the Week

India’s technology landscape continues to accelerate in 2026, with organisations doubling down on visionary CTO leadership to power AI-led growth, digital resilience, and scalable innovation. As enterprises navigate rapid transformation, the CTO’s role has become central to strategy, execution, and future readiness. This week, CXO Junction highlights four technology leaders stepping into pivotal roles shaping digital f`oundations across healthcare, BFSI, fashion, and manufacturing. Because the future belongs to those who build it, intentionally.

Pankaj Gautam Appointed as Chief Information Security Officer at HealthCare Global

Pankaj Gautam has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer at Health Care Global, marking a significant step in the organization’s journey toward advanced, technology-driven healthcare delivery. This move stands out among the latest CXO appointments, reflecting the growing focus on strong technology leadership in healthcare. In his new role, he will lead the enterprise technology strategy, oversee large-scale digital transformation initiatives, and strengthen innovation frameworks to support clinical excellence and operational efficiency.

With over two decades of experience in healthcare technology and hospital information systems, He brings deep expertise in aligning IT strategy with patient-centric outcomes. His leadership focus spans enterprise systems modernization, digital health platforms, and scalable IT infrastructure, critical pillars as healthcare organizations increasingly adopt data-driven and AI-enabled care models. Prior to joining HealthCare Global, he held senior leadership roles at Rainbow Children’s Hospitals, GENWORKS Health, and Apollo Hospitals, where he played a pivotal role in driving large-scale healthcare IT implementations and transformation programs. His appointment reflects HealthCare Global’s commitment to building a resilient, future-ready digital ecosystem that empowers clinicians, enhances patient experience, and accelerates innovation across the healthcare value chain.

LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gautam-pankaj/

Rahul Dayal Appointed as Chief Technology Officer at SBI Mutual Fund

Rahul Dayal has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer at SBI Mutual Fund, marking a strategic move among the latest CXO appointments as the organization continues to strengthen its digital-first approach in India’s rapidly evolving financial services landscape. In his new role, he will spearhead enterprise technology strategy, drive digital transformation initiatives, and enhance the firm’s technology foundations to support scale, security, and innovation.

A seasoned techno-functional IT leader with nearly three decades of experience across BFSI, he has led large-scale digital transformations spanning banking, mutual funds, credit cards, risk, and fraud systems. Most recently, he served as Executive Director and CTO at WhiteOak Capital, and prior to that as Head of IT at Aditya Birla Sun Life Mutual Fund, where he modernised digital platforms, strengthened governance, drove cloud adoption, and delivered significant efficiency gains. His work included launching a new investment platform at record speed, cutting costs by 50 percent, improving time-to-market by 35 percent, and deploying AI/ML-driven automation to enhance customer servicing. Earlier, he spent nearly seven years at RBL Bank leading retail banking technology initiatives, including setting up the credit card technology stack, executing large portfolio migrations, and launching several industry-first digital innovations. He also held senior technology delivery roles at L&T Infotech, working with global banks on consumer banking, credit card, and risk solutions. At SBI Mutual Fund, he will lead the technology roadmap across core platforms, digital channels, cloud, data, and emerging technologies, with a strong focus on performance, stability, and scalable growth.

LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rahuldayal/

Pramod Adiddam Appointed as Chief Technology Officer at Myntra

Pramod Adiddam has been appointed as Chief Technology Officer at Myntra, marking a significant step in the brand’s journey to scale innovation across India’s fast-growing fashion and lifestyle ecosystem. In his new role, he will lead Myntra’s overall technology vision, strengthening platforms that power discovery, personalization, and seamless shopping experiences for millions of customers.

His appointment reflects Myntra’s continued commitment to using technology as a core growth engine, not just an enabler. As the company sharpens its focus on speed, reliability, and innovation, Pramod’s blend of technical depth and business alignment is set to play a key role in shaping the next phase of Myntra’s digital evolution and customer experience. Before joining Myntra, Pramod built a strong global track record across leading technology companies. At Instacart, he led large consumer and retailer engineering teams, scaling platforms across search, personalization, AI, pricing, and enterprise systems while driving AI-powered shopping innovations. Earlier, during a long tenure at Google, he played a key role in building and scaling high-impact products across Ads, Search, Discover, and Google Pay, delivering ML-driven, privacy-first systems at massive scale, experience that positions him well to lead Myntra’s next phase of technology growth.

LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/padiddam/

Indresh Gangwar Appointed as Chief Technology Officer at Sonalika Industries

Sonalika Industries (a unit of ICML) has appointed Indresh Gangwar as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), where he will lead key functions including R&D, manufacturing engineering, product management, and project management. His appointment reflects the company’s continued focus on innovation-led agricultural technology and next-generation product development aimed at improving farm productivity.

Indresh brings extensive experience in agricultural engineering and product innovation, having previously served as Head of R&D at Jagatjit Group and earlier as General Manager and Head of R&D – Agri Division at Silver Pumps & Motors. Over the years, he has also held leadership roles at Shaktiman (Tirth Agro Technology), Mahindra & Mahindra, Caterpillar, and Onward Technologies, contributing to advanced engineering programs, equipment development, and global design collaboration initiatives. Sonalika Industries, the agri-implements arm of International Tractors Limited, continues to expand its portfolio of technology-driven farming solutions with more than 70 agricultural implements and a world-class manufacturing and R&D facility in Punjab. With Gangwar’s leadership, the company aims to further strengthen its innovation capabilities while advancing its “Make in India, Made for the World” vision.

LinkedIn Link: https://www.linkedin.com/in/indresh-gangwar-0a2a019/

2026: Powering India’s Technology Leadership

These leadership appointments underscore a growing trend: Indian enterprises are increasingly prioritising experienced technology leaders capable of steering digital transformation, securing enterprise ecosystems, and building resilient organisations in a rapidly evolving landscape.

CXO Junction remains dedicated to providing you with exclusive insights into transformative leadership journeys. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to bring industry news to you.