The global technology landscape is witnessing a strategic pivot by major IT services firms, and HCLTech has formalized its intent by elevating veteran executive Sandeep Saxena to the role of Chief Growth Officer—Growth Markets 2, placing him at the helm of an accelerated expansion push across India, the Middle East, and Africa (MEA). This appointment, effective January 14, 2026, signals a decisive move to capitalize on the region’s burgeoning economic growth and rapid digital transformation, aligning with a broader industry trend where emerging markets are becoming critical engines for future revenue. Saxena, a long-serving leader who joined the company in 1998, will be based in Mumbai and report directly to Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director C Vijayakumar, underscoring the strategic importance of this new focus area.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

The company’s strategic rationale is rooted in recognizing India's immense potential as one of the world's fastest-growing economies. While India currently contributes a relatively small percentage—just 3.3 percent—to HCLTech's total business, it was the company’s fastest-growing region in the quarter ending December 31, with a constant currency growth rate of 22.1 percent.[7] This strong, albeit small, base of expansion is what the company now intends to significantly amplify. CEO C Vijayakumar has stated that HCLTech will deploy its global scale, deep expertise, and full-stack capabilities to help both private and public sector enterprises in India harness next-generation technologies.[2][4] Furthermore, the firm has explicitly committed to supporting national priorities such as the government’s Digital India and the broader Viksit Bharat initiatives, positioning the company as a key partner in public sector digital transformation and in building globally relevant intellectual property from within India.[2][4] This commitment to government-led initiatives suggests that HCLTech sees substantial long-term contracts and foundational digital infrastructure projects as integral to its growth in the home market.

Saxena's mandate extends beyond India to encompass other high-potential regions within Growth Markets 2, specifically the Middle East and Africa. These markets are increasingly becoming focal points for global IT services firms due to significant investments in smart cities, diversified non-oil economies, and large-scale digital initiatives. His appointment aims to consolidate and accelerate HCLTech's growth agenda across these strategic geographies. Prior to this elevation, Saxena's over 25-year tenure saw him hold multiple senior roles across geographies, where he was particularly instrumental in the rapid expansion of HCLTech's European business. His recent responsibilities included leading multiple industry verticals for Europe, such as retail, consumer goods, travel, logistics, and all non-financial services verticals for France, Italy, and Iberia.[2][7][6] This background in managing complex, multi-sector, and multi-geography portfolios, including significant contract wins like the multi-year agreements with European energy supplier Equinor in July 2025 and Mondelez International in 2022, provides him with a proven track record for driving growth in emerging markets.[7]

The renewed focus on India and MEA is inextricably linked to the significant surge in HCLTech's Artificial Intelligence (AI) revenues. The company's recent financial results highlighted a standout performance driven by AI, with the firm generating over $146 million in advanced AI revenue, which accounted for approximately four percent of its total revenue and represented a sequential increase of 19.9 percent.[8] This advanced AI revenue is being fueled by implementations of Agentic AI, Physical AI, and AI Factory solutions.[8] The integration of AI capabilities is a central pillar of HCLTech’s offerings, which span digital, engineering, cloud, and software solutions, serving critical industries like Financial Services, Manufacturing, Life Sciences and Healthcare, and Telecom and Media.[3] CEO C Vijayakumar has noted that the deal pipeline is near an all-time high, indicating a strong demand environment for these next-generation technologies.[9]

The implication for the AI industry is profound, as the promotion of a Chief Growth Officer specifically for this high-growth quadrant signals that HCLTech intends to make India and MEA central to its global AI strategy, moving beyond traditional IT services to focus on future-ready solutions. HCLTech's strategy is to leverage the efficiencies and new use-cases of generative AI to drive business growth. The company has structured its AI offerings, including "AI Force," which focuses on leveraging AI to shrink the software development life cycle.[10] Furthermore, the company has established a global network of AI labs in locations including California, New Jersey, London, Munich, Singapore, and two in India, to foster innovation and cross-leverage solutions for clients globally.[10] This localized, yet globally connected, AI infrastructure positions the Growth Markets 2 team to rapidly deploy cutting-edge, measurable, and transformative AI solutions for clients in India and MEA, driving client relevance in a high-demand market.[4] The push also comes at a time when the Indian IT sector is strategically investing in upskilling its workforce, with HCLTech itself aiming to upskill 50,000 engineers in AI skills and platforms, aligning human capital with the company's AI-centric growth ambition.[10] The appointment of Saxena is thus a move to solidify a leadership structure that can translate global AI and full-stack capabilities into specific, accelerated revenue growth within these strategically prioritized emerging markets.[1]