By Sindhu Hariharanbi
Copyright thehindubusinessline
In the first episode of Digital Playbook with Sindhu Hariharan, host Sindhu speaks with Shailesh Kumar Davey, CEO and Co-founder of Zoho Corporation, and Mani Vembu, CEO of Zoho to explore how Zoho continues to chart its own path, as well as understand the Industry perspective in the global SaaS landscape.
Shailesh Kumar Davey, CEO and Co-founder of Zoho Corporation talks about stepping into leadership after Sridhar Vembu: “It has actually been a bit of business as usual, as well as trying to look at what other things we could do in this new role… more like friends working together.” On the subject of global hiring, he described Zoho’s approach as deeply rooted in local engagement. “We call it transnational localism,” he explained, “where instead of driving everything from India. So we have a lot of offices around the world where we get invested in the local community.”
Speaking about inclusive workforce development, he highlights Zoho’s commitment to nurturing talent. “We hired from a different cross-section of society,” he said. “We train them, we put them on the job, we give them that runway to pick the skill and then they contribute to us.”
Mani Vembu, CEO, Zoho Corp brings in the product and workplace perspective: On the role of AI in talent and productivity, he adds: “Currently, we are still hiring support. What we are saying is—can we help them handle more without stress? That’s how we look at AI, as a productivity booster.”
Listen in to hear Zoho’s CEOs playbook for leadership, technology, and people-first innovation in a changing global market.
Audio version here:
(Host: Sindhu Hariharan, Camera: Rowan Barnett, Bijoy Ghosh, Siddharth Mathew Cherian; Video Production: Rowan Barnett; Video Producer: Siddharth Mathew Cherian)
Published on September 15, 2025
