Sonata Software announced on August 18, 2026, the appointment of Hariprasad Rebala, widely known as Hari, as its Chief AI Officer. The announcement was made official on Tuesday morning and marks a significant addition to the company's leadership team as it pushes ahead with its artificial intelligence agenda. The creation of this dedicated executive role places AI strategy firmly at the top of the organisation, signalling how central the technology has become to Sonata Software's overall business direction.
By elevating AI to the C-suite level through this appointment, Sonata Software is making a clear statement about the role it expects artificial intelligence to play across every dimension of its business, from service delivery and technology platforms to client relationships and external partnerships.
Hari's Wide-Ranging Mandate Across the Entire Business
In his new position, Hari will lead Sonata Software's end-to-end AI-led business transformation. His responsibilities include shaping and executing the company's AI strategy across its offerings, service delivery, platforms, capabilities, ecosystem, and partnerships. This is a broad remit that spans the full width of the organisation rather than being confined to a single business unit or technology function.
His primary focus will be on driving AI-led business outcomes and AI-native delivery. The stated goal is to help enterprises translate AI adoption into enterprise velocity and measurable business value, according to the company's announcement. This focus on measurable outcomes reflects a practical, results-oriented approach to deploying artificial intelligence within large enterprise environments.
The scope of Hari's mandate indicates that Sonata Software intends for AI to serve as a foundational layer across the entire business rather than functioning as a standalone capability limited to select departments or service lines. His role will also cover the company's external ecosystem relationships and technology partnerships, making him a key figure in how Sonata Software engages with the broader AI industry.
Over Three Decades of IT and Enterprise Technology Experience
Hariprasad Rebala brings more than three decades of experience across IT services, enterprise technology, and the startup ecosystem. His career spans some of the most recognised names in the Indian and global technology industry, giving him a wide base of knowledge that cuts across both large enterprise organisations and early-stage technology ventures.
Most recently, he served as Chief of AI Solutions and Growth at a deep-tech AI startup. In that role, he was focused on applying artificial intelligence technologies to real business problems and growth strategies. Before that, he co-founded Forfund, where he helped build IoT and conversational AI platforms, demonstrating hands-on expertise in creating technology products from the ground up rather than simply overseeing them at an organisational level.
Senior Roles at Mindtree, Capgemini, and Wipro Previously
Prior to his experience in the startup ecosystem, Hari held senior leadership positions at erstwhile Mindtree, Capgemini, and Wipro. At these major technology firms, he scaled businesses, built industry practices, and led large transformation programmes across significant client engagements.
His work at these organisations was particularly concentrated in the Banking and Financial Services sector, where he led substantial digital and enterprise transformation initiatives. This background gives him deep familiarity with large-scale enterprise technology deployments and client-facing delivery at scale, which is directly relevant to Sonata Software's enterprise-focused business model.
The combination of experience at globally recognised IT services companies and more recent work in AI-focused startups gives Hari a distinctive profile. He brings both the discipline and delivery capabilities developed at large organisations and the agility and innovation mindset associated with the startup world. This makes him well suited to bridge those two environments in his new role.
Appointment Signals Sonata Software's Deeper AI Commitment
The decision to appoint a dedicated Chief AI Officer reflects Sonata Software's commitment to embedding artificial intelligence across its core business functions in a structured and leadership-driven manner. By creating this senior executive role, the company ensures that AI-led transformation is directed from the very top of the organisation, giving the initiative both authority and strategic weight.
Hari's background in building conversational AI and IoT platforms at Forfund, combined with his tenure as Chief of AI Solutions and Growth at a deep-tech AI startup, equips him with practical product development experience that complements his enterprise delivery credentials from Mindtree, Capgemini, and Wipro. Together, these experiences position him to drive the kind of end-to-end AI transformation that Sonata Software is pursuing.
The appointment is a clear indication that Sonata Software is moving beyond viewing AI as a supplementary capability and is instead placing it at the heart of how the company delivers value to its clients and manages its internal operations going forward.
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