Debjani Ghosh Steps Down As Nasscom President; Rajesh Nambiar To Succeed

Debjani Ghosh has decided to step down as the president of Nasscom in November 2024, concluding a distinguished six-year tenure. Ghosh will transition to a new role at NITI Aayog as a Distinguished Fellow, where she will focus on enhancing India’s global leadership in frontier technologies like AI. In her new role, Ghosh will aim to drive economic growth and environmental sustainability through these transformative fields.

During her time at Nasscom, she oversaw huge developments, including the launch of the Future Skills initiative and navigating the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. She was the first woman to lead the 36-year-old IT-BPM industry trade association.

“Joining nasscom was the best career decision I had made 7 years back. What an incredible journey it has been! And what an amazing team – one that believes in making the impossible, possible…Hence, it was immensely difficult for me to take the decision to step down as I complete my tenure in Nov this year, to pursue my dream,” Ghosh said in her social media post.

The IT-BPM industry trade association has appointed Rajesh Nambiar as the president designate, who is set to succeed Ghosh. Nambiar has stepped down from his position as chairman and managing director at Cognizant India and will bring his extensive experience from TCS, IBM, Ciena and Cognizant to his new role. Infosys' Rajesh Varrier has been chosen to succeed him in his former role at Cognizant India.

The selection of Nambiar at Nasscom reportedly came after a search process led by a committee chaired by Keshav R Murugesh, with contributions from industry veterans including Harish Mehta, Som Mittal, Krishnakumar Natarajan and Sindhu Gangadharan.

In a statement, Keshav R Murugesh, past chairperson, Nasscom and head, Nasscom Search Committee, says, “We are delighted to welcome Rajesh as the President-Designate and thank Debjani Ghosh for her phenomenal contribution to the industry. nasscom today stands on the brink of a monumental digital transformation. Our primary focus had been to identify an Indian evangelist who can not only sustain but also accelerate this transformation. We are confident that Rajesh’s leadership will further propel the tech industry's growth trajectory, expand its footprint in new markets, and strengthen India’s position as a global technology leader, even amid macroeconomic uncertainties.”