Why boards are betting on unconventional CEOs

Cred founder Kunal Shah's appointment to lead WhatsApp has sparked widespread debate, not only because of the significance of the role but also because the fintech entrepreneur holds a degree in philosophy rather than a conventional engineering or management qualification. His elevation reflects a broader shift in corporate leadership, with boards increasingly looking beyond traditional career paths in favour of leaders who can navigate disruption, drive innovation and manage uncertainty.

While Shah brings years of experience building technology ventures and has been tapped by Meta to help monetise WhatsApp in India — its largest market — his appointment departs from the long-standing corporate playbook that typically favours executives with industry-specific experience and conventional educational credentials.

Shah joins a growing list of Indian-origin executives who have broken the mould. Among them is Leena Nair, who moved from serving as Chief Human Resources Officer at Unilever to become Chief Executive Officer of French luxury house Chanel, and Nikhil Ravishankar, who was elevated to CEO of Air New Zealand despite spending his career in digital transformation and consulting rather than aviation.


The trend signals a fundamental rethink in executive hiring, recruiters and leadership consultants say.

"Executive search has always worked on the dominant logic of linearity. You hired a retail veteran to run a retail giant, a banker to lead a bank. But that framework is eroding....A part of what's driving this is the nature of disruption itself," said Anagh Sood, operating partner at executive search firm Positive Moves to Times of India.

According to Sood, many of the world's most influential companies were built by founders who challenged industry conventions rather than followed them.

"Some of the most well-known companies-Amazon, Uber, Netflix, were not built by domain experts. The products that redefined entire industries came from outsiders willing to question the status quo. Boards are starting to apply the same logic to their corner offices and broader leadership hiring," he said.

As industries increasingly converge, companies are also rethinking the skills required at the top.

"Today, a luxury brand is essentially a digital media platform and a technology firm is ultimately a consumer habit engine," said Anjali Raghuvanshi, chief people officer, Randstad India & Global Capability Centre to Times of India.

"Boards are finally prioritising perspective over pedigree. There is a healthy realisation that technical skills have a shelf life but acute emotional intelligence, the ability to manage chaos, and deep curiosity do not," she added.

Experts caution that appointing leaders from unconventional backgrounds is not without risks. However, they argue that boards are increasingly willing to make such bets as businesses grapple with rapid technological change and unpredictable market conditions.

"There could be risks attached to hiring people from non-traditional backgrounds but at the same time, boards want leaders who can deal with ambiguity which defines the current business landscape," said Sankalp Mohanty, partner, human capital consulting at Deloitte India.

Beyond expanding the leadership talent pool, companies also stand to benefit from fresh thinking and cross-sector experience, said Himanshu Priyadarshi, partner and associate director at Boston Consulting Group.

"However, it requires rethinking talent frameworks to be effective at scale," Priyadarshi said.