Notable C-Suite Moves (August)
- Sanjay Chandra→ Chief Information Officer, ŌURA. He will lead enterprise technology strategy, business systems transformation, data infrastructure, security architecture, and governance. He joins from Lucid Motors and previously held technology leadership roles at TiVo, Workday, and PayPal.
- Vikram Nafde→ Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Santander US. He will lead technology as part of the company’s executive leadership. Vikram also serves on the CNBC Technology Executive Council and as Co-Chair of Gartner’s New York CIO Community.
- Dr. Raj Talluri→ President and Chief Executive Officer, Kulicke & Soffa. He will lead the company as it expands its interconnect solutions and technical capabilities across the semiconductor industry. He previously served as President and CEO of Enovix Corporation and held senior leadership roles at Micron Technology and Qualcomm.
- John Opala, PhD→ Chief Information Security Officer, Ralph Lauren. He will help advance cybersecurity as a strategic enabler of innovation, resilience, and trust. He most recently served as VP of IT and Global CISO at Hanesbrands Inc., after previously holding the same global CISO role at McCormick & Company.
- Jason Flanders→ Chief Executive Officer, Randstad Digital Americas. He will lead the North American business and Global Delivery Centers while continuing to oversee Randstad’s Professional specialization in the U.S. He joined Randstad in 2025 after nearly two decades at Robert Half.
What’s New in Tech
AI buying is getting harder to align. Enterprise AI decisions now need more than a strong product demo. Buyers need clear ownership, stable leadership, and confidence that the investment will create real value. Without that, even good solutions can get stuck.
Tech leaders are carrying a bigger mandate. Deloitte’s 2026 research shows that CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, and data leaders are being asked to go deep on AI, cybersecurity, architecture, and governance while also leading business outcomes. The job is no longer just about technology delivery. It is about helping the enterprise move forward.
Audiences are moving into smaller spaces. Gen Z’s shift toward DMs, private groups, and micro-communities signals that people want more trusted, lower-noise spaces. For leaders, this means reach alone is not enough. Relevance and trust matter more.
C-Suite Trends for Leaders
1. Confidence is becoming part of the buying process. AI buyers need help making sense of risk, value, and ownership before they move forward. The C-suite can reduce friction by aligning early and clearly making the business case.
2. Technology leadership is becoming business leadership. The strongest tech leaders will be the ones who can connect AI ambition to revenue, cost, risk, talent, and operations.
3. Trust is moving closer to growth. As people engage in smaller, more private spaces, leaders need to show up with useful conversations, credible voices, and real insight.
4. AI investment needs sharper trade-offs. Budgets are still under pressure. Leaders will need to decide what to stop, what to simplify, and where AI can create measurable value.
From The Podcast
Ravi Soin, Chief Information Security Officer at Smartsheet, on shadow AI and enterprise trust
In this CXO Spotlight Podcast episode, host Chirag Khanijau speaks with Ravi Soin, CISO at Smartsheet, about one of the biggest AI challenges inside large companies: employees using tools the organization cannot see.
Ravi explains why shadow AI is no longer only a governance problem but also a business risk, a trust issue, and a leadership conversation.
Why this matters: AI adoption is moving faster than most companies can govern. Ravi’s perspective shows how CISOs can help enterprises move quickly without losing visibility, accountability, or trust.
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