Tata Communications lines up Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as next CEO

MUMBAI: A changing of the guard is loading at Tata Communications but the baton will pass only after the final green light. Tata Communications has named Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as its managing director and chief executive officer–designate, with the formal appointment to take effect once regulatory approvals are in place.

The Board will notify stock exchanges after receiving the necessary clearances, following which Lakshminarayanan will take over from the current MD and CEO A. S. Lakshminarayanan, who is set to retire on April 13, 2026.

Lakshminarayanan brings more than three decades of global leadership experience across multinational corporations, B2B start-ups and Indian enterprises. Most recently, he served as managing director and group vice president for Servicenow India and SAARC, where he led market expansion and enterprise adoption of AI-led digital transformation.

Before Servicenow, he headed Airtel Business in India, steering the enterprise unit to 50 per cent growth over three years and lifting market share from 30 per cent to 33 per cent. The business earned the chairman’s Award for Best Business Unit in FY23 under his leadership.

His career also spans the start-up ecosystem, with advisory roles at Sequoia Capital and operational stints at companies such as Mu Sigma and Capillary Technologies. Earlier, he played a pivotal role in establishing and scaling Dell’s India operations, growing the workforce to 15,000 and laying the foundation for a billion-dollar domestic business.

Commenting on the appointment, Tata Communications chairman N. G. Subramaniam said Lakshminarayanan’s experience in global enterprise, automation, AI and large deals would strongly complement the company’s growth strategy.

Lakshminarayanan said he looked forward to building on Tata Communications’ legacy by strengthening its customer-centric culture, investing in talent and executing strategy with focus and discipline.

The appointment, while subject to regulatory approval, signals Tata Communications’ intent to double down on technology-led growth as it prepares for its next leadership chapter.