CitiusTech appoints Dhaval Shah as acting CEO and Shyam Karunakaran as President

CitiusTech has announced that Dhaval Shah, Chief Business Officer for the MedTech (HMT) and Life Sciences (HLS) markets, has been elevated to the role of Acting Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Shyam Karunakaran, Chief Business Officer for Healthcare Payer and Platforms (HHP and Platforms), has been elevated to the role of President, with broad responsibilities spanning enterprise strategy, markets, growth, and execution. Rajan Kohli, Chief Executive Officer, has decided to move on from his role by the end of August 2026 to pursue other opportunities.

“Over the past two decades, CitiusTech has built a strong and differentiated business, underpinned by deep healthcare expertise, trusted client relationships and an exceptional leadership team,” said Dr William Winkenwerder Jr., Chairman, CitiusTech.

“As two of CitiusTech’s early founding employees, Dhaval and Shyam have been integral to that journey and today lead over 80 per cent of our business. Their deep understanding of our clients, people and industry, combined with their proven track record of building and scaling businesses, positions them strongly to lead CitiusTech through its next phase of growth. This is an exciting time for the company as healthcare organisations accelerate their adoption of AI and look for partners who can translate that technology into meaningful outcomes. Dhaval and Shyam have the full support of the Board, and the mandate to lead the organisation and execute on its strategic priorities. We thank Rajan for his contributions to CitiusTech and wish him every success in the future”, he added.

Shah has been with the company for more than 19 years, helping shape its culture, values, and operating model since its earliest days. Over his tenure, Dhaval has held various leadership roles and was responsible in building the company’s MedTech and Life Sciences businesses. Until recently, he served as Chief Business Officer for these industry segments.

Shah said, “I want to thank Rajan and the Board for the strong foundation we are inheriting. Our vision to accelerate healthcare intelligence is well and truly underway. Our focus now is to make intelligence an integral part of how healthcare organisations operate, make decisions and deliver outcomes. We will build on this foundation to establish CitiusTech as a leader in healthcare AI services.”

Karunakaran has spent 17 years at CitiusTech. He served as Chief Business Officer for the company’s Payer and Platform businesses and helped build them into the franchises they are today. As President, he will bring that same strategic mandate to the broader organisation, with responsibilities across enterprise strategy, markets, growth, and execution.

“Between Dhaval and me, we bring more than 36 years of experience at CitiusTech, and we are excited to lead the company through its next phase”, he added.

“The healthcare industry stack is being rebuilt around AI, and CitiusTech is uniquely positioned to win across three layers – the Engineering Layer, the Intelligence Layer, and the Agentic Layer. It has been a privilege to lead CitiusTech and work alongside such a talented team. Together, we forged strategic partnerships across the healthcare ecosystem, elevated client trust, enhanced CitiusTech’s brand visibility as a category leader, and built a strong foundation in AI that is now driving real outcomes for our clients. I’m grateful to Bill and the Board for their partnership throughout this journey. Dhaval and Shyam are outstanding leaders, and they have my best wishes as they take CitiusTech to even greater heights”, Kohli added.