Noida-based global IT company Coforge has appointed Akhil Kumar Gupta as its new Chairperson and Non-Executive Independent Director, bringing a new leader to the board after weeks of changes involving senior directors. Gupta took charge on September 29, 2026, for a five-year term, subject to shareholder approval.
The appointment places a veteran corporate executive at the head of the board of the Noida-based IT services company. Gupta was earlier Vice Chairman of Bharti Enterprises and has spent more than four decades as a chartered accountant and corporate executive. Coforge said he was selected after a global search process.
Gupta currently chairs the boards of 360 ONE WAM and Bharti Life Insurance. He is also a board member at Zepto, Snapdeal, Eutelsat Communications and Lodha Developers, according to Coforge.
New Appointment
The appointment follows the exit of former chairman O.P. Bhatt, who resigned earlier this month amid questions surrounding Coforge board evaluation procedures. An internal audit had raised concerns about information related to Bhatt performance review being withheld from other board members.
Following Bhatt departure, independent director Vivek Sharma took over as interim chairperson. Coforge then appointed executive search firm Egon Zehnder to find a permanent chairman, with the selection process involving a larger pool of candidates.
According to Coforge, the search considered 60 candidates before Gupta was selected unanimously by the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. His appointment now moves the board into a new phase after several weeks of public disclosures about its internal governance processes.
Recent Board Changes
The leadership change comes after a series of board-level developments that attracted investor attention. Bhatt resigned after the internal audit reviewed the board evaluation process for FY26, while D.K. Singh, who headed the Nomination and Remuneration Committee, also left the board shortly afterwards.
Coforge had disclosed that the internal review raised questions about the handling of findings from the board evaluation exercise. Bhatt had earlier faced opposition to his reappointment in a shareholder vote, with the resolution receiving 65% support, according to reporting by Mint.
The episode also affected the company market value, with reports putting the decline at more than Rs 4,400 crore during the period of heightened uncertainty. The board subsequently moved to appoint an interim chair and begin the external search for a replacement.
Coforge Focuses on AI
Gupta joins the board at a time when Coforge is positioning itself around artificial intelligence and enterprise technology services. The company describes itself as an AI-native engineering services provider, combining AI, cloud, data and industry-specific technology services for enterprise clients.
Coforge reported $1.87 billion in revenue for FY26, according to its investor-relations information. The company operates across sectors including banking and financial services, insurance, travel, healthcare, hi-tech and other industries.
CEO and Executive Director Sudhir Singh welcomed Gupta to the board and pointed to his experience at Bharti Enterprises. “We are very excited to have Mr. Akhil Gupta join us as the chairperson at a very important time for the industry and the firm,” Singh said in the company statement.
Singh also said Gupta had played an important role in helping Bharti Enterprises navigate different business changes during his association with the group.
About Coforge
Coforge is an Indian IT services and digital engineering company that traces its origins to NIIT Investments Private Limited, incorporated in 1992. It later operated as NIIT Technologies before changing its name to Coforge in 2020. The company provides application development, cloud computing, managed services, business process services, data and AI-led technology solutions to clients across sectors.
The company operates internationally and serves industries such as financial services, insurance, travel, transportation, healthcare, retail and technology. Coforge currently describes its business around AI-led engineering and industry-focused technology services, with more than 45,000 technology and business process professionals across 33 countries, according to its investor-relations website.
This appointment now gives Coforge a permanent non-executive chairperson after the recent board changes. His immediate role will include working with the board and management as the IT services sector goes through a period of rapid AI-led changes, while the company also works to restore stability following the recent governance episode.
