Shailesh Kumar Davey Appointed as New CEO of Zoho Corp, Replaces Sridhar Vembu

In the latest leadership succession at Zoho Corp, co-founder Shailesh Kumar Davey has been announced as the Group CEO of the cloud software firm, effective January 27, 2025. The announcement has come in because Sridhar Vembu, a long-time serving CEO of the company, has stepped down from this position to join the company in a new position as Chief Scientist. Vembu will be taking on deep research and development projects that focus on AI and machine learning to continue Zoho’s growth.

Shailesh Kumar Davey: The New Leader

Shailesh Kumar Davey, co-founder of Zoho Corporation with Sridhar Vembu, has been associated with the company since its inception. His appointment completes his long years of service with Zoho, particularly in the areas of engineering and product development. Shailesh Kumar Davey is a product of IIT, a well-known Indian Institute of Technology, and completed his B.Tech in Metallurgy in 1992. He went on to take his MTech in Industrial Management from IIT Madras, which further enhanced his proficiency in the technical as well as managerial field.

Before becoming the Group CEO, Shailesh Kumar Davey was a Vice President of Engineering at ManageEngine, which is Zoho’s IT management division. Davey has been an integral figure in the engineering processes of the company, especially during the development of solutions that optimize software, servers, and data centers to deliver more value to the customers of Zoho. Davey’s network projects experience developed during his period at Tata-IBM have immensely contributed to Zoho’s ongoing success.

He also mentioned that optimising all kinds of technology for Zoho would give its customers huge value. According to him, “We believe that optimising everything from the software to the server and the data centre can provide significant value to our customers.”

Sridhar Vembu as Chief Scientist

Sridhar Vembu’s resignation from the CEO role and his assuming the role of Chief Scientist underlines Zoho’s strategic move to expand capabilities in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. Vembu will now focus on the company’s R&D initiatives, where Zoho will be able to strengthen its technological edge in this increasingly AI-driven market.

Vembu announced the transition of leadership through a post on the social media platform X, where he stated that he is confident about Davey’s leadership. “I will step down as CEO of Zoho Corp and take a new role as Chief Scientist, responsible for deep R&D initiatives. Our co-founder Shailesh Kumar Davey will serve as our new group CEO,” Vembu stated.

Zoho’s Future Under Shailesh Kumar Davey’s Leadership

Zoho Corp stands on the path to its continued trajectory as one of the leaders in the cloud software industry with the appointment of Shailesh Kumar Davey as the CEO. Innovation, more so in AI and machine learning, will be one of the principal interests for the company under the leadership of Davey. As Zoho continues to evolve and expand its offerings, Davey’s technical acumen and leadership pedigree will be critical to steering the company through this next stage of growth.

The move will come as the company is strategically aiming to execute its vision of providing cutting-edge solutions to its global customer base. Davey should help Zoho achieve this with a strengthened competitive position at the same time that the company continues to innovate in enterprise software and IT management.

As Sridhar Vembu steps into his new role, Zoho’s future seems bright under the leadership of Shailesh Kumar Davey, who is going to steer the company into a new era of technological advancement and growth.