Naveen Durgaraju elevated as head of gen AI at Dneg

MUMBAI: Dneg has elevated Naveen Durgaraju to head of generative AI, a move that reflects both the company’s growing focus on AI-led creativity and Durgaraju’s unusually wide-ranging professional journey.

The appointment marks a fresh chapter for Durgaraju, whose career has comfortably straddled technology, business strategy and creative expression. At Dneg, he will be tasked with shaping the studio’s Generative AI vision, helping blend advanced AI systems with cinematic storytelling and production workflows.

Before stepping into this role, Durgaraju built his foundation across global organisations such as Infosys and Belgium-based Proximus Group. There, he worked on business analysis, product ownership and telecom core systems, gaining hands-on experience in large-scale, complex technology environments.

What sets him apart, however, is his parallel creative track. He has been closely associated with platforms such as Pepperscript and Leadstart, also known as One Point Six Technologies, where he honed his skills as an author and creative professional. This rare mix of analytical depth and narrative instinct has shaped his multidisciplinary profile.

Colleagues describe his career as one that refuses to stay in a single lane. From enterprise technology to publishing, and now to generative AI in visual effects, Durgaraju has consistently moved at the intersection of logic and imagination.

His elevation comes at a time when generative AI is rapidly redefining how stories are conceived and produced in the entertainment industry. With Dneg leaning into that shift, Durgaraju’s blend of technical expertise and creative sensibility positions him to help turn algorithms into artistry.

In an industry often split between left brain and right brain, his journey suggests there is plenty of room for both.