Rackspace Technology has announced the appointment of Gajen Kandiah as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective from 3 September 2025. With a wealth of experience across services, infrastructure, software, and AI, Mr. Kandiah is set to take the reins and lead Rackspace's strategic vision into the future.
Under his leadership, Rackspace aims to enhance their AI-first multicloud strategy by developing governed multicloud operations for AI and data workloads. This includes working with hyperscalers, regional cloud partners, and the open ecosystem across private, public, and sovereign clouds.
Gajen Kandiah will be succeeding Amar Maletira, who has held the CEO position since September 2022. Mr. Maletira will now take on the role of Vice Chairman of the Board while continuing as a board member. He will assist in ensuring a seamless transition for Mr. Kandiah into his new role.
Before joining Rackspace, Mr. Kandiah was the President and Chief Operating Officer of Hitachi Digital, where he successfully integrated AI across both industrial and enterprise portfolios. He also served as CEO of Hitachi Vantara, where he led initiatives in digital infrastructure, software, and services. Further, he helped build and scale industry BPO and digital engineering businesses at Cognizant, from $368 million to $16 billion over 16 years.
Rackspace, under Kandiah's guidance, will continue to prioritise delivering tangible customer outcomes across various cloud environments, including heavily regulated sectors. His strategic objectives include fostering platform and product innovation in cloud management and private AI, enhancing collaborations with major cloud providers, and ensuring robust execution in sales, delivery, and operations.
Mr. Jeffrey Benjamin, Chairman of the Rackspace Board, stated, “Gajen is a proven operator across services, infrastructure, software, and AI. His experience aligns with our strategy to deliver secure and governed multicloud solutions with stronger reliability, security, and time to value.”
The newly appointed CEO, Mr. Kandiah, is enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead, praising the company's culture and dedication to customer success. He emphasised the importance of managed and protected workloads, particularly as industries amplify their adoption of AI solutions.
