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The Wall of AI Champions

Praniti Lakhwara

Ravi Malik

Profile summary

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A distinguished technology leader, Praniti Lakhwara brings a unique blend of engineering precision and strategic IT vision to her role as Chief Information Officer at Zscaler, the leading global provider of cloud security solutions. Praniti is recognized for her expertise in AI transformation, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and building world-class IT organizations.

Her educational foundation in Aeronautical Engineering from Arizona State University provides her with a distinctive analytical approach to complex technological challenges. She excels in leading large-scale digital transformations, fostering innovation, and delivering secure, globally scalable solutions. Her influence extends through board service and active thought leadership in AI adoption and technology governance.

Connect with Praniti on: Linkedin

Career highlights

2021

Chief Information Officer

2017

Chief Information Officer

2015

VP of IT and CIO

2013

Vice President and CIO
Senior Director of Applications and Integration

2001

Senior Director of IT Applications

1998

Software Engineer

Claim to fame

The AI strategist

Praniti champions a thoughtful, data-driven approach to AI adoption, viewing AI as a powerful tool for augmenting human capabilities rather than replacing them. She advocates for "thoughtful experimentation" and establishing robust data foundations before AI implementation, emphasizing the critical importance of data quality, governance, and security in successful AI deployments.

The Digital Transformation leader

At Conga, she led a complex IT and business systems integration following a major acquisition, executing an 18-month digital transformation roadmap entirely remotely. She successfully repositioned IT strategy, revitalized the department's internal brand, and established a "Customer 0" program that doubled their execution roadmap from prior years.

The build-buy-extend AI innovator

Praniti champions a strategic framework for AI technology adoption, asking the critical question: “What do we want to build? Where do we want to buy? And where do we want to extend?”.

She emphasizes that privacy and security concerns often drive the decision to build AI solutions internally, highlighting her expertise in balancing innovation with compliance and data protection requirements. This methodical approach helps organizations make informed choices about their AI investments.

The technology governance leader

In June 2024, she was appointed as an Independent Director on the Board of Bread Financial (NYSE: BFH), serving on the Risk & Technology Committee. Her appointment was specifically recognized for bringing expertise in "deployment and governance of emerging technology, AI and automation" to the financial services sector.

Praniti's AI philosophy

Praniti Lakhwara

CIO, Zscaler

“I don’t believe that AI is going to replace all jobs or humans, for that matter. I really believe it’s an augmentation. It’s going to help [humans] do higher-value work.” Source

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"Be thoughtful with AI. Don't dive in—tread the waters. Explore in the areas where you can drive the repeatable value versus jumping in to solve for narrow, niche cases that...just drive incremental value.”Source

“I have a tagline – ‘make every desk more productive.’ And I think AI could be a game changer here. Our challenge is, of course, how do you deploy this at scale?” Source