New Delhi: Tata Communications Ltd on Wednesday said its board has selected Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as managing director and chief executive officer–designate, subject to regulatory approvals, marking the start of a planned leadership transition at the Tata Group’s digital infrastructure arm.
The appointment follows the recommendation of the nomination and remuneration committee and will come into effect on a future date after the required approvals are received. The company said it will separately inform stock exchanges once Lakshminarayanan formally takes charge as MD and CEO.
Lakshminarayanan will succeed A S Lakshminarayanan, the current MD and CEO, who is set to retire on April 13, 2026.
With over three decades of global management experience, Ganesh Lakshminarayanan most recently 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 solutions.
Prior to ServiceNow, he was CEO of Airtel Business and earlier headed Airtel’s enterprise business unit. During his tenure, the enterprise business recorded nearly 50% growth over three years and increased market share from 30% to 33%, earning the Chairman’s Award for Best Business Unit in FY23.
Lakshminarayanan has also been closely associated with India’s startup ecosystem, having advised Sequoia Capital and held senior leadership roles at Mu Sigma and Capillary Technologies. Earlier in his career, he played a key role in establishing and scaling Dell’s India operations, eventually overseeing a workforce of about 15,000 and building a billion-dollar domestic market business.
N G Subramaniam, chairman of Tata Communications, said Lakshminarayanan’s experience across global enterprises, automation, AI and large deal-making aligns well with the company’s strategy as it looks to build on its growth momentum in digital connectivity, cloud and enterprise services.
Tata Communications operates in over 190 countries and counts around 300 Fortune 500 companies among its customers. The leadership change comes at a time when enterprises are accelerating investments in cloud, data, cybersecurity and AI-driven networks, areas central to the company’s long-term growth plans.