Jio Financial Services has appointed Venkata Narasimham Peri as its group chief operating officer, filling a key leadership position as the company accelerates its expansion across financial services and technology-led offerings.
The board approved Peri’s appointment on 17 December, with the executive set to take charge from 22 December, the company said in a statement reported by Indian business media. The role had remained vacant for several months following a leadership reshuffle earlier this year.
Peri has been working closely with Jio Financial since October 2024 as a senior executive advisor. In that capacity, he supported the chief executive, chief technology officer and analytics leadership in laying the groundwork for the design and deployment of artificial intelligence and analytics capabilities across the group.
He brings more than 25 years of experience spanning finance, technology and advisory roles. Before joining Jio Financial, Peri founded and led US-based health technology firm CognitiveCare for six years and has also served as chief AI officer at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, according to people familiar with his profile.
Earlier in his career, Peri held senior roles at firms including IBM, Deloitte and PwC, where he advised boards and top management teams on finance, risk, technology and analytics, primarily in banking and insurance. He holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and an MCA from NIT Rourkela, and has been associated with academic and governance roles at Indian institutions.
The group COO position was previously held by Charanjit Singh Attra, former chief financial officer of State Bank of India. Attra moved out of the role in July 2024 to become managing director and chief executive of Jio Leasing Services, before leaving later in the year to join EY as a partner. Since then, operational oversight had rested with managing director and chief executive Hitesh Sethia and chief financial officer Abhishek Pathak.
Peri’s appointment comes at a time when Jio Financial is stepping up both its core financial services operations and its focus on AI-led capabilities. Earlier this month, the company invested ₹230 crore across two joint ventures with global asset manager BlackRock, infusing capital into Jio BlackRock Asset Management and Jio BlackRock Investment Advisers, with BlackRock matching the investments.
The partners have also set up a third entity, Jio BlackRock Broking, and applied for a broking licence, with all three businesses currently building teams and preparing their market launches.
For the September quarter, Jio Financial reported a net profit of ₹695 crore, up 1% year-on-year, while operating revenue rose 42% to ₹981.4 crore, driven largely by interest income. As the company scales its platform and partnerships, Peri’s mandate is expected to centre on execution, technology integration and operational discipline in its next phase of growth.