Virima Welcomes Back Salil Kulkarni as Chief Strategy and Information Officer
Atlanta, GA – October 16, 2025
Virima today announced the return of Salil Kulkarni to its executive leadership team as Chief Strategy and Information Officer (CSIO), effective October 16, 2025. Kulkarni previously served as Virima’s Chief Operating Officer and Chief Information Officer during the company’s formative years and rejoins to help lead Virima’s next stage of strategic growth.
Kulkarni brings more than 30 years of IT and management consulting experience serving multi-billion-dollar enterprises, mid-market organizations, and venture-backed startups. He has held senior executive roles in technology and operations, including CIO and CTO at brands such as Caesars Entertainment and Equifax, led large-scale digital transformations, overseen budgets of up to $200M and teams of more than 600 people, and guided organizations through complex technology, cybersecurity, and operations challenges.
Most recently, he served as a Principal in The Hackett Group’s Strategy and Business Transformation practice, where he advised clients on business and technology strategy, AI/ML, and large-scale transformation, and co-led the firm’s AI/ML service offering. His prior experience also includes leading AI-driven product innovation as SVP and Head of Learning Intelligence Data Business at Stride, founding and leading global consulting firm Vichaar LLC, holding multiple technology patents, and serving on numerous boards and advisory boards — experience he will now bring to Virima’s growth, governance, and innovation agenda.
“Salil was instrumental in shaping Virima in its early years,” said Rajan Palaniswamy, Virima’s Founder and CEO. “His deep operational experience, technology and business leadership and strategic vision make him uniquely qualified to help us scale. We’re delighted to welcome him back as CSIO — a role that will be central to aligning our growth strategy with the technology and data disciplines that power our product and customer success.”
In the newly created CSIO role, Kulkarni will combine responsibility for the company strategy and business growth with stewardship of Virima’s information technology and data governance. Reporting directly to the CEO, his responsibilities include:
- Leading strategic planning and cross-functional execution to advance Virima’s market position.
- Analyzing market trends and competitive dynamics to identify growth and partnership opportunities, including strategic alliances and M&A.
- Guiding digital transformation programs that improve internal productivity and customer outcomes.
- Overseeing internal IT systems, data governance, and security practices to protect and scale core information assets.
- Serving as an executive advisor and external brand ambassador to customers, partners and industry stakeholders.
“Returning to Virima at this moment is energizing,” said Salil Kulkarni. “The company has grown in capability and market momentum since my earlier tenure. I look forward to working across product, engineering, sales and operations to ensure our strategy and technology investments accelerate value for customers and position Virima for sustained leadership in the market.”
As Virima continues to expand its footprint in the IT service management and visibility space, Kulkarni’s appointment is intended to ensure all parts of the company move in lockstep on priority initiatives — from product roadmaps and go-to-market execution to internal systems and data practices that underpin scale and trust.
About Virima
Virima helps enterprises discover, map and manage complex IT and hybrid environments with automated discovery, visual dependency mapping and CMDB automation. The company’s SaaS platform is designed to reduce downtime, simplify IT operations and improve risk and compliance visibility. Learn more at virima.com.
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Radhika Madhavan
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