CriticalRiver Board of Directors and Advisors

As Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CriticalRiver Inc., Anji Maram drives the company’s growth strategy with clarity, vision, and purpose. Since co-founding the company in 2014, he has architected its growth strategy, expanding operations across nine global offices and guiding enterprises through the waves of digital disruption with measurable results.

A seasoned technologist and entrepreneur, Anji was part of the original team behind Oracle software still powering millions of users today. His leadership journey spans Oracle, Sun Microsystems, and Selectiva Systems Inc., where he drove enterprise-scale delivery, architecture, and offshore operations.

An alumnus of UCLA, the University of Louisiana, and BITS Pilani, Anji brings a rare blend of technical depth and business foresight. In 2015, he founded Medville Corporation to support international patients seeking care in the U.S.—underscoring his belief in impact beyond the boardroom.

Within CriticalRiver, Anji is known not just as the CEO but as the “Chief Empathy Officer,” a title that reflects his commitment to building a culture grounded in trust, accountability, and human connection.

Chandrasekhar Chandragiri is the Chief Financial Officer and Co-Founder of CriticalRiver Inc., with over 20 years of experience in technology consulting, business development, and enterprise transformation. A strategic thinker with a strong technical foundation, he has played a key role in scaling CriticalRiver to over 50 million dollars in annual revenue.

Chandra has been instrumental in shaping the company’s presence in the Oracle HCM space, fostering lasting client relationships and delivering solutions that drive measurable business value. His leadership continues to guide CriticalRiver’s financial performance, operational efficiency, and long-term growth.

Before co-founding CriticalRiver, Chandra held leadership roles at IHireRite Inc. and Oracle Corporation, where he served as Principal Applications Engineer. He began his career with formative stints at IBM Global Services and Sun Microsystems, gaining deep insight into enterprise systems and delivery models.

An alumnus of BITS Pilani and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Chandra also holds a business degree from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Based in San Ramon, he remains a lifelong learner with a passion for building purposeful, technology-driven impact.

As the Senior Strategic Global Growth Leader at CriticalRiver, Tarun Srivastava brings over 18 years of experience in delivering world-class services, driving innovation and technology adoption, and leading high-performing product and engineering teams.

In this role, he partners with clients to map and realize their transformation goals by harnessing the potential of Generative AI with speed, flexibility, and scale.

Before joining CriticalRiver, Tarun spent over 11 years at Altimetrik as Senior Client Partner, where he led sales and business development, account management, deal structuring, contract negotiation, and closure. His earlier experience includes roles at Wipro Technologies, Perfetti Van Melle, and Capgemini.

He holds a Master of Business Administration in Marketing Management from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune.

Enayathulla Shaik (Enay) is a Partner at CriticalRiver Inc., leading operations across India and the APAC region. He is responsible for driving regional growth, shaping business strategy, and overseeing the execution of high-impact initiatives. With more than 20 years of experience in techno-managerial business development roles, he has consistently delivered innovative software solutions for Tier 2 organizations and emerging startups.

Since joining CriticalRiver in 2017 as Vice President of Operations, Enay has played a key role in strengthening the company’s delivery capabilities and expanding its footprint across the region. Prior to that, he founded Opent IT Services, where he built and scaled technology solutions with a hands-on leadership approach.

Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at Selectiva Software Solutions, AnalytixDS, Aztec Software and Technology Services, Bristlecone, and Polaris Financial Technology. His work has focused on modernizing business applications, building intelligence-driven platforms, and leading digital transformation programs.

A passionate technologist and believer in purposeful innovation, Enay is known for his guiding belief: “Tech is the Future. The Future is Tech.” He is an alumnus of BITS Pilani and is currently based in Hyderabad, India.

As Global Delivery Leader at CriticalRiver, Narayana Murthy K drives performance at scale—leading delivery operations across India, the Philippines, Brazil, Costa Rica, and the USA. His mandate is clear: ensure client success, build future-ready teams, and deliver with precision and purpose.

With over 30 years of experience, Murthy has led complex enterprise programs for Fortune 10 and Fortune 100 clients, combining deep technical expertise with strategic vision. His career began as a Computer Scientist at the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) and includes leadership roles at HCL America, Tech Mahindra, GSPANN Technologies, and as Chief Digital Officer at ImAvatar Technologies—a pioneering FaithTech company.

A frequent industry speaker and advisor to the Association for Intelligent Information Management (AIIM), Murthy has presented at global forums including Oracle World, EMC World, Adobe Summit, Agora, Vignette Village, and OpenText Content World.

He holds an MCS (Master of Computer Science) from Andhra University and an MBA (Master of Business Administration) from IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University).

Based in Hyderabad, Murthy brings calm confidence, delivery excellence, and global insight to every engagement.

Scott Birdsong leads CriticalRiver’s Energy & Water Solutions Studio, a global practice delivering mission critical engineering and IT services for electric, gas, water, and wastewater organizations. He oversees the full spectrum of strategic and operational activities across the sector—including go-to-market strategy, demand generation, sales, delivery, talent development, and partnerships.

With more than 25 years of experience in utility-focused technology services, Scott is recognized for driving innovation, integrity, and consistent results. Since joining CriticalRiver in 2019, he has scaled the Utilities division from 36 to over 150 professionals across the United States, Canada, India, Costa Rica, and the Philippines—building a high-performing, cross-functional team of engineers, consultants, and support specialists.

His earlier roles include senior positions at Infosys, Accenture, IBM, Black & Veatch, and Capgemini. He has led multiple enterprise transformation programs and twice received the CIS Implementation Project of the Year award (2019, 2021). Scott also served two terms as Chairman of the Oracle Applications Users Group (OAUG) – Energy and Utilities Special Interest Group.

A graduate of the University of Houston, where he earned his degree cum laude with honors, Scott is currently based in Texas Hill Country, where he and his wife, Deena, are building their forever home.

Kaniska Mandal leads CriticalRiver’s Data & AI Solutions Studio, where he drives the strategy, development, and delivery of the company’s AI-powered product portfolio. His leadership is central to advancing the Digital Science Innovation Lab (DSiL) engineering team and accelerating innovation across CriticalRiver’s data and AI initiatives.

With more than 24 years of experience in building scalable data engineering and machine learning products, Kaniska combines enterprise-grade depth with startup agility. His career includes key roles at CVS Health, Walmart Labs, Cisco, Siemens, and Dell, where he led transformative data and AI programs across global platforms.

Before joining CriticalRiver, Kaniska headed AI and Generative AI product innovation at Sparkflows, delivering a self-service data science platform and tailored vertical solutions that created measurable business value. His expertise spans product growth, team building, applied AI, pre-sales, product marketing, GSI/ISV partnerships, and customer success—making him a multidimensional product leader with both technical and business insight.

Kaniska holds a master’s degree in computer science with a focus on machine learning from Georgia Tech. Beyond his professional pursuits, he mentors students, supports non-profits, and enjoys playing soccer with his two soccer-enthusiast sons.

As CriticalRiver’s Global People Leader, Arundhati Ashoka drives the company’s global talent strategy—overseeing recruitment, development, engagement, and retention across geographies. Her leadership is central to building a high-performance, inclusive culture that supports innovation, collaboration, and long-term growth.

With a strong foundation in human resources and customer relations, Arundhati brings over two decades of experience across multinational organizations. She has consistently championed diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is known for creating people-first environments where individuals and teams thrive.

An alumna of Bangalore University, Arundhati is based in Austin, Texas, and continues to shape the global workforce at CriticalRiver with empathy, clarity, and purpose.

As Growth Leader at CriticalRiver, Rohit Yadav brings over 23 years of experience in digital and product engineering services. He leads high-impact initiatives across North America, working closely with clients in the Hi-Tech sector to unlock new opportunities through technology-driven growth.

Known for his deep commitment to customer success, Rohit focuses on helping organizations harness innovation in ways that deliver measurable outcomes. His leadership is rooted in strategic insight, execution excellence, and a passion for solving complex challenges through modern technology.

Before joining CriticalRiver, Rohit held leadership roles at HCL Technologies and R Systems (a Blackstone company), where he built strong customer partnerships and scaled delivery operations. His expertise continues to shape forward-looking strategies that drive value, transformation, and sustained growth.

Angela Carter leads growth strategy at CriticalRiver, driving global expansion, deepening enterprise relationships, and accelerating business development across high-potential markets. She plays a key role in strengthening the company’s presence through client-focused execution and scalable go-to-market initiatives.

With over 20 years of experience, Angela has helped top technology and consulting firms achieve sustainable growth through solution sales, global account leadership, strategic partnerships, and alliance development. Her approach combines long-term vision with an ability to deliver immediate business outcomes.

Previously, she held leadership roles in consulting and tech-enabled services at global consulting firms and the Big 4, where she led the Oracle service practice and managed key client relationships.

A graduate of the University of Colorado, Angela lives in San Mateo with her husband, son, daughter, and their beloved pets. Outside of work, she enjoys hitting the ski slopes and spending time outdoors.

Christopher Vialva drives enterprise growth at CriticalRiver as Growth Leader and Client Partner, focused on designing high-impact strategies that unlock value and build large revenue portfolios. His work spans executive engagement, solution shaping, and full lifecycle client success.

With more than 25 years of experience across the technology spectrum—from software development to enterprise cloud architecture—Chris brings a rare blend of technical depth and business acumen. He has managed P&Ls of up to 200 million dollars and led complex digital programs across diverse industries.

Before joining CriticalRiver, he held leadership roles at Thoughtworks, Cognizant, Infosys, and American Express, where he guided enterprise transformation initiatives and built trusted C-level partnerships.

A strategic thinker and Enterprise Solutions Architect, Chris works closely with C-suite leaders and delivery teams to align business outcomes with technology investments. He is an alumnus of Nova Southeastern University and Pace University, and currently lives in San Francisco.

As a Growth Leader, Manav Puri is involved in crafting CriticalRiver’s business development strategy while building relationships with clients and stakeholders.

With over 20 years of experience driving revenue growth and building high-performing teams in the IT services industry, Manav is reputed for his solid executive relationships and stakeholder management with C-suite.

Manav is an outcome-oriented individual with experience in hyper-scaling accounts. At CriticalRiver, he leverages his expertise in competitive planning, pricing strategy, demand generation, and sales operations to expand customer footprint and enhance value offerings of the company.

Prior to joining CriticalRiver, he worked as Vice President – Client Services at Amiseq Inc and Director – Client Services at Virtusa.

Manav holds an MBA degree in Marketing from IBS Hyderabad. When Manav is not working, he likes to relax by the beach and explore local coffee shops.

Subbarao Kapila, known as Subbu, serves as Growth Leader for the MENA region and Global Presales at CriticalRiver. He leads multiple strategic practices across digital transformation and business integration, with a sharp focus on accelerating growth, enhancing delivery impact, and building long-term client value.

With over 25 years of experience in the IT services industry, Subbu brings deep expertise in crafting strategic roadmaps, building global engineering and presales teams, and delivering scalable solutions that drive both top-line and bottom-line growth. Since joining CriticalRiver in 2020, he has played a key role in strengthening global delivery and presales operations, ensuring business continuity and sustained expansion across critical markets.

Before joining CriticalRiver, Subbu held leadership positions at Cyient across Global Delivery, Innovation, Sales, and Presales. He has also worked with Satyam Computer Services (now Tech Mahindra) and GE-IBC, leading key initiatives in business development and client engagement.

Subbu holds a degree in engineering from Marathwada University and a management degree from GITAM University. He is also a research scholar. Based in Hyderabad, he continues to drive enterprise growth through customer-centric strategy and operational excellence.

Alan Marcus leads the Salesforce Solutions Studio at CriticalRiver, where he drives strategy, innovation, and delivery across the company’s Salesforce practice. His focus is on helping clients unlock the full potential of Salesforce by aligning advanced solutions with business outcomes and delivering measurable results.

With more than 20 years of experience, Alan is one of the ‘First 500’ Salesforce-certified professionals and played a key role in shaping the platform’s early education and certification programs. He was the lead architect behind dataloader.io, the top-rated app on the Salesforce AppExchange, widely recognized for its usability and impact.

Alan specializes in designing scalable, high-performance solutions powered by chatbot agents, AI-driven automation, predictive intelligence, and recommendation engines. His approach helps enterprises accelerate growth, enhance customer engagement, and maximize the return on their Salesforce investments.

An alumnus of the University of Montana – Missoula, Alan is based in San Leandro, California. He is known for his people-first leadership style and for building teams that consistently deliver transformation with purpose.

Reet Sibia Gwari serves as the Global Marketing Leader at CriticalRiver, where she is responsible for shaping and executing a comprehensive marketing strategy aligned with the company’s business growth objectives. She brings a sharp focus on optimizing the full customer journey while strengthening alignment between marketing and sales to drive measurable impact.

With deep expertise in building scalable organizational ecosystems, Reet leads go-to-market strategy, brand positioning, public relations, analyst relations, and global campaigns with precision and agility. Her 360-degree approach to marketing is rooted in insight, innovation, and a clear understanding of evolving market dynamics.

Before joining CriticalRiver, Reet served as Head of Marketing Communications at Cyient and held senior roles at Region Holdings, Sistema Shyam Teleservices Ltd., and DLF. Her experience spans multiple industries and geographies, with business exposure across EMEA and the US contributing to her global perspective and cross-cultural leadership style.

Known for her strategic mindset and collaborative approach, Reet continues to elevate CriticalRiver’s global brand through purposeful storytelling, market intelligence, and customer-centric engagement.

Jithesh Manoharan leads the NetSuite Solutions Studio at CriticalRiver, where he drives strategic growth, innovation, and delivery excellence across Oracle NetSuite implementations. He enables clients—from scaling startups to global enterprises—to streamline operations, automate business processes, and gain real-time financial visibility through tailored cloud ERP solutions.

With more than 20 years of global experience in ERP systems, cybersecurity, solution architecture, and cloud transformation, Jithesh brings deep domain expertise and a proven track record of leading enterprise-wide implementations across the US, Canada, and India. At CriticalRiver, he focuses on building high-performing teams and delivering turnkey NetSuite solutions aligned with each client’s business goals.

In addition to his role at CriticalRiver, Jithesh is the Founder and CEO of Techcloudpro, a certified Oracle NetSuite Solution Provider known for its proprietary SuiteSpots™ Connectors and enterprise cybersecurity offerings through CyberArk. He also spearheads Zietra, an AI-powered Industry 4.0 platform, and Zyre, an intelligent talent-matching engine—extending his leadership across the broader tech ecosystem.

A trusted advisor to C-level stakeholders, Jithesh combines strategic vision with hands-on execution to deliver lasting impact. Outside of work, he is a passionate musician and dedicated fitness enthusiast.

As Business Development Leader at CriticalRiver, Jacqueline Craig spearheads a high-performing team focused on strategic territory planning, innovative marketing, and opportunity creation. Her ability to build trust-based relationships with C-level executives has played a key role in securing long-term partnerships and accelerating the company’s growth across target markets.

With over 20 years of experience, Jacqueline has consistently driven business success across roles in sales, strategy, and client engagement. Prior to joining CriticalRiver, she held leadership positions at Miracle Software Systems as Senior Business Development Executive, MuSigma as Chief of Staff, and PragmaEdge as Head of North America Sales.

A proud alumna of Northwestern University, Jacqueline is a passionate advocate for women in technology. She founded the Tri-Valley Women in Tech Circle and contributes actively to the Women in Leadership League at San Jose State University. Her commitment to inclusion and community extends to mentoring at the Therapeutic Riding Center and volunteering with the Tim Tebow Foundation’s Night to Shine initiative.

Jacqueline’s leadership is defined by integrity, purpose, and a deep belief in growth—both for the business and the people around her.

Pani Peddi leads the ERP Solutions Studio at CriticalRiver, where he oversees global ERP initiatives, solution architecture, and delivery excellence across industries. He manages distributed teams and drives the successful execution of complex ERP programs tailored to the needs of global enterprises.

With over 24 years of experience in finance, accounting, auditing, and enterprise technology, Pani brings deep expertise in ERP Financials, Projects, Distribution, and Global Compliance. His knowledge spans US GAAP, IFRS, FASB, SOX, incentive compensation, supply chain operations, and large-scale process reengineering.

A Chartered Accountant, Chartered Financial Analyst, and management graduate from IIM, Pani also holds a law degree. He completed his JD and MS in Criminal Justice Administration from Ferris State University, Michigan, with a specialization in financial management for justice agencies. He is certified across ERP, cloud, cybersecurity, compliance, and data governance domains.

Before joining CriticalRiver, Pani held leadership roles at Apolis, RJT Solution Beacon, and served as Director at ASCENT (AIMS). He is an active member of ICAI, ICFAI, and the Bar Council of India, and is widely recognized as a public speaker on corporate compliance and global enterprise advisory. Pani is based in Chicago, USA.

Thomas Rowan is the Delivery Leader for Energy & Water Solutions at CriticalRiver Inc., where he oversees the successful execution of complex programs for utility clients across the electric, gas, and water sectors. With a strong focus on driving operational efficiency and business transformation, Thomas ensures the delivery of high-impact solutions that help utilities modernize systems and optimize performance.

A seasoned IT and management consulting professional, Thomas has served as both project director and solution architect, leading utilities through every phase of large-scale system integration—from strategic planning and solution selection to implementation and business process reengineering. His expertise lies in translating technology into actionable results that improve service delivery, streamline operations, and enhance customer experience.

Thomas brings deep domain knowledge in Customer Service and Billing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), and Smart Grid technologies. His ability to align technology with utility business goals makes him a trusted leader in delivering innovative, measurable outcomes.

In his role as an independent director at CriticalRiver Inc., Raju Reddy leverages his extensive experience and expertise from the technology and venture capital sectors.

As a Venture Partner and Principal at SVQ, he has been a tech entrepreneur for over 20 years and a venture angel for a decade, with 30 investments yielding significant successes including two exits and a prospective 100X+ Unicorn IPO.

Reddy’s career began at Intel, followed by his role as Founder and CEO of Sierra Atlantic, which was acquired by Hitachi in 2011. He currently holds advisory positions in several innovative companies like Eltropy, Flam, SciSpace, GreyOrange, HealthCube, Hover, Modern Meadow, Quizizz and Seclore.

Raju is an active TiE Silicon Valley charter member and served as Convener for TiEcon 2016. He previously served as the Chairman of BITSAA Intl., the alumni body of BITS Pilani university.

At CriticalRiver, Reddy’s expertise in operational leadership and investment acumen plays a pivotal role in shaping the company’s strategic direction and growth.

As a senior advisory board member at CriticalRiver Inc., Phaneesh Murthy brings extensive expertise from his time at leading IT firms, including Infosys and iGate.

In his previous role as a Global Sales Head at Infosys Ltd, he was widely credited for escalating the organization’s revenues from $2 million to $700 million in less than a decade. Joining iGATE as CEO in 2003, Phaneesh led the company until 2013. Under his leadership, iGATE’s revenues soared to approximately $1.2 billion, firmly establishing it as a significant player in the global outsourcing market.

With a career that spans various pivotal roles including Managing Director and Worldwide Head of Sales and Marketing, Phaneesh is recognized for his visionary approach.

His role is central to shaping CriticalRiver’s operational strategies and sales initiatives, laying the groundwork for a successful IPO and future advancements.

Phaneesh holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad as well as a BS from the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai.

Tony serves as the Vice President and Head of IT at Five9. He has previously held leadership positions at AT&T, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Tiburon, and Wind River Systems.

Tony has more than 20 years of experience in business and IT transformation, and a reputation for building and leading high-performance global, cross-functional teams in highly matrixed organizations. He is skilled at developing and delivering strategic solutions to further key business objectives.

Tony is based in Pleasanton, California. He holds a BBA from Simpson and an MBA in Computer Information Systems from California State University – Hayward.

As Advisory Board Member at CriticalRiver, Venkat brings 25+ years of IT experience with expertise in hyper-growth companies. At present, he serves as the Chief Information Officer at Ichor Systems Inc. He has previously held leadership positions at Neo Photonics Corp, JDS Uniphase Corp., and Oracle Corp.

Venkat’s experience spans global service delivery, applications development, support, IT security, strategy, and transformation, with a proven track record in each area. He has been a featured speaker on subjects such as technology, cloud, and IT transformation.

Venkat is based in San Ramon, California, and holds a BS in Engineering from PSG College of Technology, India.

Ghanim is an innovative and results-driven leader focused on achieving exceptional results in highly competitive environments that demand continuous improvement. He specializes in driving projects and customer service improvements while building partnerships with key business decision-makers. Ghanim enjoys building and motivating cross-functional teams to exceed expectations.

At present, Ghanim is Board Member and Acting CEO at the B7 Group of Companies in the UAE. He has held several other high-impact positions dealing with strategic planning, megaprojects, customer relationship management, commercial excellence, innovation, and digital technology.

Ghanim is based in the UAE.