AI won’t replace you — but AI experts will!

Saurabh Gupta
Group Chief Digital and Information Officer
Gujarat Fluorochemicals

In India, few CIOs have deep expertise in both finance and technology. Saurabh Gupta, Group Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) at Gujarat Fluorochemicals (GFL Group), an Indian Chemical major that primarily produces Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a fluoropolymer commonly known as Teflon, making them one of the largest manufacturers of PTFE globally.

Saurabh takes a business-first approach to technology, leveraging AI, cloud computing, and data-driven strategies to future-proof the energy businesses, and stands out as one such leader. A Chartered Accountant by training, Saurabh has successfully transitioned from auditing and advisory roles to leading digital and IT transformations.

With decades of experience, Saurabh brings a rare blend of financial acumen and technological expertise. He began his career in audit, taxation, compliance, and accounting, before advancing to leadership roles at Grasim Industries, Gujarat Gas Company, and Vodafone. These experiences honed his expertise in finance, IT strategy, solution development, and software engineering.

“When I began, cloud adoption was nascent; today, nearly 80% of our workloads run on the cloud. We leverage a hybrid model—critical systems reside on private cloud infrastructure, while other workloads operate on public platforms like AWS and Azure. This strategy balances agility, scalability, and security.”

Known for his practical mindset, dedication, and attention to detail, Saurabh excels at delivering innovations that create tangible business value. His unique combination of technology passion and financial expertise distinguishes him in India’s technology leadership space.

In an exclusive conversation with CIO&Leader Executive Editor Jatinder Singh, Saurabh Gupta shares his leadership journey, transformative projects at GFL Group, the role of AI and emerging technologies in enterprises, and the key challenges CIOs are likely to face in 2025—providing a blueprint for navigating challenges and driving meaningful change.

CIO&Leader: What prompted your shift from finance to IT?

Saurabh Gupta:
I began my career as a Chartered Accountant (CA) in 2005, primarily managing accounting operations within SAP systems. While the work initially involved routine tasks—financial transactions, audits, and reconciliations—everything changed when I had the opportunity to implement an SAP module. That experience was transformative. I witnessed firsthand how technology could streamline operations and create immense business value. It sparked a passion for IT and project management, and I knew I wanted to contribute to this intersection of technology and business.

While working as a consultant, I had opportunities to manage large international projects, including a two-year stint in the United States. However, I realized that as a consultant, I could only advise on transformation, not directly contribute to long-term change. I wanted to blend my business expertise with IT leadership to create lasting impact, which is why I returned to in-house IT roles in India.
To facilitate this shift, I focused on gaining certifications such as CISA for IT security and ventured into analytics and data science. These experiences gave me a holistic perspective that bridges business operations and technology.

CIO&Leader: Can you share a specific example where your business understanding made a tangible difference?

Saurabh Gupta:
Having a strong business background gives me a unique advantage as a CIO. I deeply understand organizational processes, financial drivers, and business pain points. This allows me to act as a bridge between IT and business teams, ensuring that technology decisions align with organizational goals and generate measurable value.

During one of our major ERP implementations, the finance team raised concerns about additional workloads caused by redundant processes. Because of my accounting background, I quickly identified inefficiencies in reporting and streamlined workflows. This not only reduced manual tasks but also improved the accuracy and speed of financial reporting, aligning technology outcomes with business needs.

Moreover, my business understanding allows me to effectively communicate technology value to leadership teams, fostering alignment and gaining buy-in for critical projects.

“Many employees are initially reluctant to adopt new technologies, fearing that automation and AI could replace their jobs. Overcoming this resistance requires clear communication and reassurance, alongside training to help employees see the benefits of innovation in enhancing their roles.”

CIO&Leader: How has cloud adoption at GFL evolved under your leadership?

Saurabh Gupta:
Cloud computing has been pivotal to our transformation strategy. When I began, cloud adoption was nascent; today, nearly 80% of our workloads run on the cloud. We leverage a hybrid model—critical systems reside on private cloud infrastructure, while other workloads operate on public platforms like AWS and Azure. This strategy balances agility, scalability, and security.

To ensure successful adoption, IT must lead by example. We test, implement, and refine new technologies internally before advocating for broader organizational adoption. This approach builds confidence, showcases tangible value, and accelerates transformation.

CIO&Leader: You mentioned automation faced resistance. How did you overcome it?

Saurabh Gupta:
When we began our RPA journey, automating repetitive IT tasks like ticket management and data validation, there was initial resistance. Teams feared job losses. To address this, I emphasized that automation is about enabling smarter work, not replacing people. For instance, I often say: “AI doesn’t replace people; people who use AI replace those who don’t.” Over time, as teams saw the benefits—fewer manual errors, faster processes—they became more receptive.

Many employees are initially reluctant to adopt new technologies, fearing that automation and AI could replace their jobs. Overcoming this resistance requires clear communication and reassurance, alongside training to help employees see the benefits of innovation in enhancing their roles.

“I focus on adaptability and learning agility. Technical expertise is essential, but I hire for potential. I look for candidates who are eager to upskill, innovate, and align with future organizational goals.”

CIO&Leader: What role is AI playing in your smart factories?

Saurabh Gupta:
In our smart factories, we are piloting Industry 4.0 initiatives using AI and IoT. These systems monitor operations in real time, track equipment performance, and predict maintenance needs. Instead of rushing implementations, we focus on small-scale POCs to “fail early” and learn what works best. This approach mitigates risks while driving innovation.

CIO&Leader: How critical is a well-defined strategy for aligning IT initiatives with business priorities?

Saurabh Gupta:
Certainly. A well-defined strategy is critical for aligning IT initiatives with business priorities. When I joined Gujarat Fluorochemicals, I spent the first year strategizing and breaking our IT transformation into five key pillars:

  • ERP and Digital Core: This includes SAP implementations, vendor collaboration platforms, customer portals, and SAP S/4HANA upgrades. Our ERP serves as the backbone of digital transformation, integrating core business processes.
  • IT Backbone: Strengthening IT infrastructure is fundamental. This includes modernizing our cloud and on-premise systems, network upgrades, and ensuring robust cybersecurity.
  • Smart Office: Under this initiative, we focus on tools that improve employee productivity and collaboration. For example, migrating to Microsoft Office 365, using Teams for communication, and adopting Microsoft Copilot for AI-driven assistance.
  • Smart Factory: We’re piloting IoT and Industry 4.0 solutions to improve plant efficiency, reduce downtime, and optimize energy consumption. Early POCs help us experiment, learn, and scale projects effectively.
  • Cybersecurity (“Suraksha Kavach”): We’ve implemented a multi-layered security strategy, covering physical security, cloud security, application security, and third-party governance. With evolving threats and data protection laws like DPDP, cybersecurity remains a top priority.

CIO&Leader: How do you ensure alignment across these diverse pillars?

Saurabh Gupta:
We maintain alignment through regular reviews, measurable KPIs, and clear roadmaps for each pillar. Every initiative is tied to a business outcome, ensuring that technology investments deliver value.

CIO&Leader: How critical is sustainability and how are you doing it?

Saurabh Gupta:
Sustainability is not just a buzzword; it’s a business imperative. One of our key initiatives is embedding carbon accounting into our ERP systems. SAP’s Green Ledger, for instance, enables us to track the carbon footprint of every transaction—right down to a goods receipt. This granular level of visibility helps us measure, monitor, and systematically reduce emissions across Scope 1, 2, and 3.

Sustainability is a shared responsibility. We ensure our vendors align with our sustainability goals by evaluating their energy efficiency practices, emissions reduction targets, and eco-friendly policies. Collaboration is key to achieving sustainability across the supply chain.

CIO&Leader: In today’s dynamic environment, CIOs must focus on upskilling and unlearning. Upskilling involves staying ahead of emerging technologies like AI, cloud, and predictive analytics. Equally important is unlearning—challenging old processes and shedding practices that no longer add value. What skills do you look for when hiring IT talent?

Saurabh Gupta: I focus on adaptability and learning agility. Technical expertise is essential, but I hire for potential. I look for candidates who are eager to upskill, innovate, and align with future organizational goals.

CIO&Leader: What are your top priorities for 2025? What are the challenges?

Saurabh Gupta:
For 2025, my priorities include:

Looking ahead to 2025, our focus will be on leveraging technology to drive sustainable growth, improve operational efficiency, and ensure compliance across the board. Key priorities include:

Sustainability Accounting Integration: We’re integrating carbon accounting directly into our SAP ecosystem to ensure accurate, real-time sustainability reporting. This will not only help us meet regulatory requirements but also enable more data-driven decisions towards a greener future.

Predictive and Embedded Analytics: By embedding predictive and prescriptive analytics into core systems, we aim to deliver real-time insights right at the point of decision-making. This strategy will improve operational efficiency and empower teams across the organization to make smarter, data-backed decisions without interrupting their workflows.

Scaling Industry 4.0: As we continue to scale Industry 4.0, the emphasis will be on successfully expanding proof-of-concept projects within our smart factories. The goal is to boost productivity, reduce costs, and enhance supply chain agility through cutting-edge automation and AI technologies.

Cybersecurity and Data Protection Compliance: Strengthening our “Suraksha Kavach” framework remains a priority to ensure compliance with the Data Protection and Privacy (DPDP) Act. With cybersecurity threats growing in sophistication, our focus will be on fortifying data security to safeguard both our customers and organizational integrity.

Cloud Optimization and Hybrid Strategy: Our journey toward a hybrid cloud model will continue in 2025, with an emphasis on reducing reliance on on-premise infrastructure while improving scalability and flexibility. This move supports our digital transformation while ensuring business agility.

“Instead of rushing implementations, we focus on small-scale POCs to “fail early” and learn what works best. This approach mitigates risks while driving innovation.”

Challenges:

As we work towards these ambitious goals, we face a set of challenges that require careful attention and strategic action:

Talent Acquisition and Upskilling: The demand for skilled professionals in emerging technologies like AI, cloud computing, and data analytics continues to outstrip supply. Attracting top talent and upskilling our existing workforce to bridge this gap is a pressing challenge that will require sustained investment in learning and development.

Resistance to Change: Organizational change is often met with resistance. Overcoming this requires a commitment to fostering a culture of innovation, clear communication from leadership, and making technology adoption a seamless part of daily operations.

Regulatory Compliance: The regulatory landscape, especially around data protection, is evolving rapidly. Staying ahead of these changes—such as India’s DPDP Act—requires agility and vigilance. Maintaining compliance while continuing to innovate is an ongoing challenge that demands both legal and technical expertise.

In summary, 2025 will be a year of balancing transformative technological advancements with the need for skilled talent, a culture of innovation, and rigorous compliance with ever-evolving regulations.with the DPDP Act and enhanced data protection.

CIO&Leader: With AI taking center stage as a top priority for most CIOs in 2025, is India fully equipped to capitalize on the opportunities of the AI revolution?

Saurabh Gupta:
AI adoption is accelerating, particularly in healthcare and financial services. These sectors are using AI to analyze vast amounts of data, improve diagnostics, and enhance customer experiences. However, the transformation won’t happen overnight. It requires continuous effort across sectors and a robust talent pipeline.

India has a growing pool of technical talent, but we need to focus on upskilling and developing AI-specific expertise. Organizations must invest in training programs to equip their teams to manage and scale AI deployments effectively. Collaboration between academia, industry, and policymakers will also be key to bridging the talent gap.

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