Tata Communications appoints former Airtel executive as CEO-designate

Tata Communications on Wednesday named Ganesh Lakshminarayanan, a former Airtel executive, as its chief executive officer-designate, signalling a planned leadership transition at the digital connectivity and telecom company.

Subject to regulatory approvals, Tata Communications said its board will appoint Ganesh as managing director and chief executive officer, with effect from April 13, 2026, when incumbent CEO AS Lakshminarayanan is set to retire.

Ganesh joins Tata Communications with more than 30 years of experience, spanning multinational corporations, Indian enterprises and business-to-business start-ups. Most recently, he served as managing director and group vice-president for ServiceNow India and SAARC, where he was responsible for driving market growth across the region.

Before joining ServiceNow, Ganesh was chief executive officer of Airtel Business in India, and earlier led Airtel’s enterprise business unit. During his tenure, the enterprise segment recorded 50% growth over three years and increased its market share from 30% to 33% by FY23, the company said.

Announcing the appointment, NG Subramaniam, chairman of Tata Communications, said the board was confident the leadership change would support the company’s growth plans.

“We are pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as the Managing Director and CEO–Designate,” he said, adding that Ganesh’s experience across global businesses, automation, artificial intelligence, digital transformation and large enterprise deals aligns with Tata Communications’ strategic priorities.

Ganesh said he looked forward to building on the company’s current trajectory. “Together with our leadership teams, I look forward to further building on our customer-centric culture, investing in our people, and executing our strategy with continued focus and discipline,” he said.

The appointment comes as Tata Communications continues to expand its portfolio across cloud, network, security and digital infrastructure services, with the planned transition aimed at ensuring continuity while positioning the company for its next phase of growth.