Tata Communications has appointed Ganesh Lakshminarayanan as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer–Designate, as part of a planned leadership transition at the company.

The appointment is subject to regulatory approvals. Upon clearance, the board will formally appoint Lakshminarayanan as Managing Director and CEO of Tata Communications Limited. He will succeed A. S. Lakshminarayanan, who is set to retire on Apr 13, 2026.

Leadership experience across technology and telecoms

Lakshminarayanan brings more than 30 years of international management experience across multinational corporations, business-to-business start-ups and Indian enterprises.

Most recently, he served as Managing Director and Group Vice President for ServiceNow in India and the SAARC region, where he was responsible for driving market growth.

Before joining ServiceNow, Lakshminarayanan was Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Business in India, having earlier led Airtel’s enterprise business unit. Under his leadership, the enterprise unit received the company’s Chairman’s Award for Best Business Unit in FY2023, delivering 50 per cent growth over three years and increasing market share from 30 per cent to 33 per cent, according to Tata Communications.

Board endorsement

Commenting on the appointment, N G Subramaniam, Chairman of Tata Communications, said Lakshminarayanan was selected following a rigorous process conducted by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

“Ganesh’s experience with global businesses, automation, AI, digital transformation, enterprise relationships and large deals will complement Tata Communications’ strategies and augur well to the growth momentum demonstrated by the company,” Subramaniam said.

Incoming CEO’s priorities

Lakshminarayanan said he was honoured by the board’s confidence and looked forward to building on the company’s existing foundations.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve an institution with such a strong legacy,” he said. “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.”

Lakshminarayanan holds an MBA with high distinction from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science and engineering from Guindy Engineering College in Chennai, where he graduated as a gold medallist.

He has also served two terms on the executive council of NASSCOM, and was a member of the council at FICCI. He is a founding member of Social Venture Partners Bengaluru.

Following regulatory approvals, Lakshminarayanan will assume the role of Managing Director and CEO, leading Tata Communications through its next phase of growth as the current CEO completes his tenure in April 2026.