Leadership Transition at CitiusTech
MUMBAI, India, Aug. 17 2026 – CitiusTech, a leading digital and enterprise AI firm serving healthcare and life‑sciences organisations, issued a press release announcing a senior‑leadership reshuffle. Effective immediately, Dhaval Shah, who has been Chief Business Officer for the MedTech (HMT) and Life Sciences (HLS) markets and a CitiusTech employee for more than 19 years, is elevated to Acting Chief Executive Officer. Shah will assume full CEO responsibilities as the Board’s appointed successor.
Simultaneously, Shyam Karunakaran, also a long‑time CitiusTech executive with 17 years of service and previously Chief Business Officer for Healthcare Payer & Platforms (HHP & Platforms), is promoted to President. In his new role, Karunakaran will oversee enterprise strategy, market development, growth initiatives, and execution across the company.
The transition follows the decision of the incumbent CEO, Rajan Kohli, to step down by the end of August 2026 to pursue other opportunities. Kohli’s tenure is credited with forging strategic partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem, enhancing client trust, and building a strong AI foundation that now drives measurable outcomes for clients.
Chairman Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr. commented that Dhaval Shah and Shyam Karunakaran, both founding employees, currently lead over 80 % of CitiusTech’s business and possess deep client and industry knowledge, positioning them to guide the next phase of growth. Shah echoed this sentiment, stating the company’s vision to embed intelligence into healthcare operations is well underway, while Karunakaran highlighted CitiusTech’s unique positioning across the Engineering, Intelligence, and Agentic layers of the emerging AI‑driven healthcare stack.
CitiusTech noted that FY 26 performance placed the firm in the top quartile of technology‑services companies, with continued strong momentum into FY 27. The company now supports more than 140 enterprise clients worldwide, employing over 7,700 healthcare‑technology professionals, and is experiencing growing demand for AI‑centric solutions.
The Board has given Shah and Karunakaran full support to execute the company’s strategic priorities, scale AI offerings responsibly, and maintain industry‑leading client satisfaction.