In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, technology is no longer just a support function—it is the backbone of business innovation and competitive advantage. Nirupam Srivastava, President, Refund.me India (Refundme) Partner, Intelmon, a seasoned technology leader, operates at the intersection of emerging technologies and strategic business outcomes. With deep experience in AI, cloud transformation, and IT modernization, he helps organizations navigate complexity, drive innovation, and build agile, future-ready teams.
In this conversation, Nirupam shares insights on reallocating budgets from maintaining legacy systems to pioneering innovations, strategies for simplifying complex technology environments, approaches to upskilling teams to balance technical and business expertise, and his perspective on the evolving role of CIOs in shaping business strategy and boardroom discussions.
Q: How are you reallocating budgets from "keeping the lights on" to innovation (e.g., Agentic AI, cloud transformation, edge computing) while ensuring cost discipline?
A: Given the dynamic environment, keeping the lights on is as critical as Innovation. The business uncertainty wants to optimize the spends and preserve cash. However old IT cannot continue in a world where agentic AI, cloud transformation are enabling, speed and efficiency at break neck speed. Years of training and skill can be bypassed using state of the art generative models (LLMs). These models can create applications from simple English commands (called prompts). This whole phenomenon is vibe coding, eliminating the need to vast teams of IT or years of learning programming skills.
However, the proliferation of AI tools and rapid changes create their own challenges. Each week we see one model upstaging another one requiring a fast paced agile adaptation. Existing business models and companies can be wiped by these new generation of companies, which will extremely cost effective. Business and entrepreneurial skills take center stage Along with quick learning of technology
Q: What strategies are you using to simplify technology complexity (e.g., legacy modernization, cloud consolidation)?
A: To simplify technology complexity, we focus on selecting the right tools that align with our core needs rather than chasing every new, flashy solution. We leverage support from trusted vendor partners to ensure smooth implementation and ongoing management. At the same time, we identify the organization’s core technology areas and concentrate our efforts there, ensuring resources are optimized and complexity is minimized. This disciplined approach helps streamline operations, maintain focus on high-impact initiatives, and avoid unnecessary overhead across the IT landscape.
Q: How are you upskilling your team to blend technical expertise with business acumen?
A: We upskill our teams to blend technical expertise with business acumen by focusing on hiring the right talent and providing them with challenging problems that encourage critical thinking and smart decision-making. Coaching and mentorship play a key role in guiding their growth, while fostering a culture of continuous learning ensures skills stay current. Knowledge sharing across teams and rotation across different domains expose employees to diverse perspectives and business contexts, helping them understand how technology decisions impact overall organizational goals. This holistic approach develops well-rounded professionals capable of aligning technical solutions with strategic business outcomes.
Q: How do you CIOs role evolving in the next few years? Is their presence well received in the boardroom?
A: The role of CIOs is expanding beyond traditional IT leadership into broader business and entrepreneurial domains. Many CIOs are moving into executive roles or even launching their own startups, reflecting the growing strategic importance of technology. Today, every organization is essentially a technology-driven business, with IT serving as the core engine of operations, much as manufacturing or marketing were in the past. CIOs are increasingly responsible for driving product-led innovation and delivering innovation-led products, positioning themselves as key architects of growth, competitiveness, and long-term business value.
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