Sridhar Vembu Resigns as CEO of Zoho Corp

Sridhar Vembu, the founder and CEO of Zoho Corp, has stepped down from his active role as CEO to assume the position of Chief Scientist. In this new role, Vembu will focus on driving deep research and development (R&D) initiatives to address emerging opportunities and challenges, including advancements in artificial intelligence (AI).

“In view of the various challenges and opportunities facing us, including recent major developments in AI, it has been decided that it is best that I should focus full time on R&D initiatives, along with pursuing my personal rural development mission,” Vembu shared on X.

As part of the leadership restructuring, Shailesh Kumar Davey, Zoho’s co-founder, will take over as the new Group CEO. Co-founder Tony Thomas will now lead Zoho US, while Rajesh Ganesan will head the ManageEngine division. Mani Vembu will oversee the Zoho.com division.

Vembu expressed enthusiasm for his new role, stating, “The future of our company entirely depends on how well we navigate the R&D challenge, and I am looking forward to my new assignment with energy and vigor. I am also very happy to get back to hands-on technical work.”

Zoho remains one of India’s largest and most profitable SaaS companies, reporting a profit of Rs 2,836 crore in FY23. The company’s revenue grew 29.7% during the fiscal year, reaching Rs 8,703.6 crore. Zoho has yet to release its FY24 annual report.

This leadership shuffle signals a renewed focus on innovation and growth for Zoho as it navigates the rapidly evolving tech landscape.