In a continuously changing market, the Chief Product Officer (CPO) is more crucial than ever as the foundation for innovation and strategic growth. CPOs go beyond merely overseeing product vision and strategy; they act as the driving force that pushes the company toward exceptional value and competitive edge.

By having a sharp insight into market trends and customer demands, CPOs guarantee that the organization not only meets but surpasses market expectations, keeping business at the forefront. Here are the latest interesting CPO appointments of 2025.

CarDekho Group Appointments Rahul Shetty as its Group Chief Product Officer (CPO)

CarDekho Group has revealed the selection of Rahul Shetty as its Group Chief Product Officer (CPO). With close to twenty years of expertise in product strategy, technological innovation, and digital transformation, Rahul is responsible for propelling the Group’s future growth across its varied Autotech, Fintech, and Insurtech sectors.

In this new capacity, Rahul leads the product vision and strategy throughout the CarDekho Group’s portfolio, concentrating on improving customer experiences, speeding up innovation, and strengthening ecosystem engagement. He directs initiatives aimed at reinforcing the Group’s role as a product-centric, technology-driven organization across India and Southeast Asia.

Rahul  comes to CarDekho from BYJU’S, where he held the position of Vice President – Products and was responsible for the expansion of the InstaLearn division. He has also held prominent positions at Toppr, Global Delight, and Robosoft Technologies, and founded GrowthBeats Technology Pvt. Ltd., highlighting his entrepreneurial spirit and practical approach to product development.

As a graduate in Computer Science & Engineering from MIT Manipal, Rahul has a remarkable history of creating and scaling digital products utilized by millions. He has overseen both zero-to-one innovations and growth-stage product portfolios within B2C and B2B environments.

Balaji Thiagarajan  as CPO of  Flipkart

Flipkart has announced the appointment of Balaji Thiagarajan as its new Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO), a move aimed at enhancing its technological capabilities. With more than 25 years of experience at major technology companies such as Google, Microsoft, Uber, and Yahoo, Thiagarajan is well-equipped to drive Flipkart’s AI-centric future. 

He holds nine U.S. patents and has impressive academic credentials, including a BS in Electronics and Telecommunication from the University of Pune, an MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Syracuse University, and an MBA from Wharton. Most recently, he served as the founder and CEO of Kasu.ai, a U.S.-based firm focused on AI solutions to streamline business processes, highlighting his expertise in cutting-edge technologies.  His appointment aligns with Flipkart's strategic transformation and follows a significant $950 million funding round led by Google, setting the stage for the ecommerce leader's growth and innovation.

Also Read: April 2025 CXO Appointments Synopsis

NetApp Appoints Syam Nair as its new CPO

NetApp has announced the appointment of Syam Nair as its new Chief Product Officer (CPO). This change comes as the company intensifies its focus on hybrid cloud and AI-enhanced data services in response to growing competition in the enterprise infrastructure sector.  

Syam succeeds Harv Bhela, who resigned in June after guiding NetApp through a critical transformation in product development. This shift in leadership indicates a strategic reorientation as NetApp aims to strengthen its position in cloud-based enterprise services.  

With more than 25 years of experience, Syam previously worked at the cybersecurity company Zscaler, where he held the title of Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of R&D. He has also occupied senior positions at Microsoft and Salesforce, managing extensive cloud and data service platforms.  

During his tenure at Microsoft, Syam played a vital role in the global expansion of Azure's data infrastructure. At Salesforce, he was instrumental in the creation of Data Cloud, a platform designed to enhance customer engagement through AI. His expertise in scaling enterprise-grade platforms resonates with NetApp's goal to enhance its capabilities in hybrid environments that integrate on-premises infrastructure with cloud services.  

NetApp's CEO George Kurian emphasized that enterprises are increasingly seeking both innovation and operational simplicity from their technology partners. He stated that Nair’s background in large-scale systems and leadership will be essential as the company pursues growth in the data, cloud, and AI sectors.

Also Read: 5 Interesting CMO Appointments in August 2025

Sumeet Arora is the Chief Product Officer at Teradata

Sumeet Arora is Teradata's Chief Product Officer, where he manages the Product organization, which includes engineering, product management, and the quality of the innovations the company creates and provides to its clients. His team is tasked with defining and implementing the strategy and roadmap for Teradata’s product offerings, with an emphasis on innovation, performance, and efficiency. 

With extensive expertise in analytics, AI, and cloud technology, Sumeet has a successful history of developing innovative products that tackle customer issues and promote revenue growth. He is dedicated to building exceptional teams that produce outstanding products. 

In his prior role as Chief Development Officer at ThoughtSpot, he led the global engineering, product, and design teams in enhancing and scaling the company's AI-driven data analytics platform. He played a crucial role in accelerating ThoughtSpot’s shift from an on-premises product to a SaaS model, introducing GenAI-based enterprise-level analytical tools. Under his guidance, ThoughtSpot's research and development operations were scaled efficiently, while fostering significant innovation and rapid growth in its SaaS sector. 

Before that, Sumeet worked at Cisco as SVP and GM of Service Provider Networking, where he led the Engineering and Product Management teams. He facilitated profitable market-share expansion through mergers and acquisitions and innovation, launching the company’s most significant new product lines in over a decade. Additionally, he contributed to the development of best-selling networking platforms worth billions of dollars and led the company's entry into the web-scale market. 

Over the course of his career, Sumeet has taken on roles with increasing levels of responsibility in both Fortune 100 firms and venture capital-backed startups. He is a board member of CloudBees. 

 

Sumeet earned a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from IIT(BHU) in Varanasi, India, and a Certificate in Advanced Software Systems from Stanford University. He also holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and completed The Wharton School’s General Management Program.

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Savinay Berry as EVP & Chief Product Officer  at OpenText

OpenText has made a strategic appointment by bringing Savinay Berry on board as the EVP and Chief Product Officer for the leading global information management company. Savinay  oversees initiatives aimed at products and innovation across the company's extensive array of data-focused sectors to facilitate growth.

In addition, Muhi Majzoub has assumed a new position as EVP of Security Products, enhancing the company's emphasis and boosting its potential in this vital market. 

Savinay possesses extensive experience in leading technology and engineering for prominent global software companies. Most recently, he directed Products and Engineering at Vonage, part of Ericsson, which encompassed cloud applications, developer platforms, AI, and security.

His knowledge will enable OpenText to expedite its goal of becoming the foremost information management company worldwide—assisting customers in leveraging connected data to achieve an enterprise advantage across areas such as content management, digital experience, business networking, digital operations, DevOps, analytics, and more.