Joseph Anantharaju has been elevated to Co-Chairman and CEO of Happiest Minds Technologies, marking a significant leadership transition at the Bengaluru-headquartered IT services firm. With an extensive track record spanning over two decades in the technology and banking industries, Anantharaju will now oversee all business divisions, including Product & Digital Engineering Services (PDES), Infrastructure Management & Security Services (IMSS), and GenAI Business Services (GBS). Prior to this role, he served as the Executive Vice Chairman, President & CEO of the PDES Division.
A co-founder of Happiest Minds in 2011, Anantharaju played a critical role in scaling the company into a pioneer in digital services, leading to its successful IPO in 2021. He led the Product Engineering Services business unit from its inception, establishing it as the company’s largest and most profitable segment. As a core member of the Executive Board, he contributed to shaping Happiest Minds’ strategic direction.
Before co-founding Happiest Minds, Anantharaju was the Vice President and Head of the Microsoft Business Unit at Mindtree, where he managed P&L responsibilities and positioned the company as one of Microsoft’s top engineering partners. He initially joined Mindtree through its acquisition of Aztecsoft, where he was instrumental in expanding Microsoft as a key account, securing large deals, and driving business strategy. Earlier in his career, he worked in corporate banking as an Assistant Manager at ANZ Grindlays Bank and held a senior executive role at Garware Wall Ropes Ltd.
As part of the leadership restructuring at Happiest Minds, Chairman Ashok Soota will take on an additional role as Chief Mentor. Venkatraman Narayanan will continue as the Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer (MD & CFO), leading finance, talent acquisition, internal IT, learning & development, ESG, CSR, procurement, and administration functions. Anantharaju and Narayanan will be jointly responsible for M&A and board-related matters, reporting independently to Soota.
With Joseph Anantharaju at the helm, Happiest Minds Technologies aims to leverage his deep industry expertise to drive innovation and accelerate business growth across its key service lines. His elevation aligns with the company’s long-term vision of strengthening leadership and reinforcing its commitment to delivering cutting-edge digital solutions.