Leadership
Leadership through the years
CIOs Of India has been shaped by generations of technology leaders who volunteered their time, credibility, experience, and direction to build and sustain the forum.
Presidents
A continuity of voluntary leadership
The leadership journey of CIOs Of India reflects the forum's core character: a community run by CIOs, for CIOs, through voluntary contribution. Each president has carried the responsibility of keeping the forum relevant, independent, and useful for the technology leadership community.
S. R. Balasubramanian, the Founder President, led the forum through its formative years from 1996 to 2008. This was the period when the original idea of IS India had to be converted into a working platform, sustained through member participation, peer learning, and the credibility of senior technology professionals.
C. R. Narayanan continued the leadership journey from 2008 to 2010, helping the forum move forward after its early institutional phase. His tenure contributed to continuity at a time when the role of CIOs was changing rapidly and enterprise technology was becoming more central to business strategy.
S. C. Mittal led the forum from 2010 to 2012. This period continued the tradition of professional exchange, community-building, and knowledge-led engagement among CIOs and senior IT leaders.
S. P. Arya served from 2012 to 2015, strengthening the forum's activities and supporting its role as a platform for learning, networking, and leadership conversations.
Sunil Sirohi led the forum from 2015 to 2019, a period in which the CIO role continued to expand with digital transformation, cybersecurity, cloud adoption, mobility, and new expectations from business leadership.
Kamal Karnatak is leading the forum from 2019 onward. This period has included renewed emphasis on community engagement, knowledge programs, digital presence, governance structure, member services, and preserving the historical legacy of CIOs Of India.
Together, these leaders represent the continuity of a non-profit forum that has survived and evolved because senior technology leaders chose to give their time for the larger community.
Governance
Office bearers, executive committee, and leadership archives
CIOs Of India is sustained through active participation from office bearers, executive committee members, past presidents, and past EC contributors. These roles are not ceremonial. They represent time, responsibility, coordination, and voluntary effort given by senior technology leaders for the benefit of the community.
The office bearers guide the forum's direction, help shape programs, coordinate member engagement, and represent the forum's values. The Executive Committee supports this work through participation in programs, member connect, partnerships, communication, and operational coordination.
The contribution of past presidents and past EC members remains equally important. Each leadership term added to the forum's institutional memory, strengthened its credibility, and helped build the trust that CIOs Of India continues to enjoy.
Legacy
A forum carried forward by its leaders
The leadership history of CIOs Of India is also the story of how a professional community sustains itself over decades. Unlike commercial platforms, the forum depends on members who step forward, take responsibility, and invest their personal time for collective benefit.
Leadership in the forum has meant more than holding a title. It has meant bringing people together, encouraging knowledge exchange, supporting fellow CIOs, maintaining independence, engaging with partners without losing the user-industry perspective, and keeping the spirit of peer learning alive.
This continuity of leadership is one of the reasons CIOs Of India has remained relevant from the early IS India years to the present day. The forum's future will continue to depend on leaders who combine professional seriousness with community commitment.