About the Event
The Center for Emerging Markets will host Gajen Kandiah, CEO of Rackspace Technology, for a Nardone Family Seminar on “How I use AI tools to manage my personal and professional life.” Drawing from his experience leading a global team of over 5,000 employees, Kandiah will discuss how he applies AI tools to boost productivity and streamline day-to-day leadership workflows. The conversation will also touch on responsible AI use and how leaders can adopt AI in ways that deliver measurable impact.
About Gajen Kandiah
Gajen Kandiah is the Chief Executive Officer of Rackspace Technology and brings over 25 years of experience in digital transformation, AI integration, and enterprise technology. Most recently, he served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Hitachi Digital, where he led the company's global AI strategy and transformation initiatives. He previously served as CEO of Hitachi Vantara, guiding its growth in digital infrastructure, data management, and cloud solutions.
Earlier, Kandiah spent over 15 years at Cognizant, where he held senior leadership roles and helped scale the company significantly, including leading its multi-billion-dollar Digital Business and building the Digital Engineering practice to a $1 billion run rate in 18 months. He also co-founded NerveWire, later acquired by Wipro, and is a strong advocate for responsible and ethical AI deployment.
About the Nardone Family Seminar Series
Made possible by a gift from David R. Nardone, the Nardone Family Seminar Series at the Center for Emerging Markets brings academics and practitioners to Northeastern University to share insights about emerging markets with the Boston community.
The longtime series has hosted over 150 speakers since the Center for Emerging Markets' inception, thanks to Nardone's support. Speakers have discussed topics ranging from family business to climate resilience, fintech trends to medical innovation, corporate governance to international policy, and more. These speakers have similarly come to CEM from a diverse array of academic and professional backgrounds and have shared their knowledge on research, trends, and innovations touching nearly every continent.