Walmart-owned e-commerce giant Flipkart has appointed Balaji Thiagarajan as its new Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO), a strategic leadership decision aimed at enhancing its technological capabilities. Thiagarajan takes over from Jeyandran Venugopal, who left the company earlier this year to join Reliance Retail.
With over 25 years of experience in prominent technology firms such as Google, Microsoft, Uber, and Yahoo, Balaji brings substantial expertise in product development, platform innovation, and advanced tech systems. He possesses nine U.S. patents and holds advanced degrees from Syracuse University and Wharton, along with a Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications from Pune University. Prior to his new role, he served as founder and CEO of Kasu.ai, a U.S.-based company focused on AI strategies for business process automation.
As part of his transition, Flipkart’s core technology leaders—including Ramesh Gururaja, Sandhya Kapoor, Bharath Chinamanthur, Amit Sachan, and Gaurav Mathur—will report directly to Thiagarajan. His appointment follows Flipkart’s recent $950 million funding round led by Google, further bolstering the company’s trajectory for accelerated growth.
In a statement to ETCIO, Flipkart’s communication team remarked, “Flipkart has appointed Balaji Thiagarajan as its new Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO). Balaji will lead the OneTech organization, focusing on accelerating Flipkart’s strategic technology priorities and driving innovation at scale, including the adoption of emerging technologies. An accomplished leader with an illustrious career spanning over 25 years, Balaji has driven innovations in product, platform, and technology across a diverse range of companies, from fast-paced startups to major global enterprises.”
The announcement was made on September 4, 2025, at 03:26 PM IST.
