RateGain Travel Technologies has appointed Shobana Kailash as Chief Human Resources Officer, placing an HR leader with experience across more than 30 countries at the helm of its people strategy during a period of global expansion and AI-driven transformation. Kailash joins as the travel technology company integrates its acquisition of Sojern and scales operations across North America and Europe.
Kailash brings more than two decades of HR leadership experience, including roles as Group CHRO at Hubilo and senior positions at Freshworks, Amazon Web Services, and Fidelity Investments. Her background spans talent management and organizational transformation at companies ranging from enterprise software to cloud infrastructure.
Scope of the role
In her new position, Kailash will lead RateGain's global people strategy, covering talent acquisition, leadership development, and organizational culture. Her mandate arrives as the company increases its use of AI across its business operations and integrates Sojern, a travel marketing platform RateGain acquired to expand its data and advertising capabilities.
Kailash's earlier career includes HR leadership at IQVIA and the International Water Management Institute, along with independent HR advisory work since 2024. She is an alumna of IIM Calcutta and holds a bachelor's degree in Food Technology from Avinashilingam University.
For HR executives navigating similar AI-driven organizational changes, structured training can help bridge the gap between people strategy and technology implementation. An AI Learning Path for CHROs covers how to apply AI tools to workforce planning and talent decisions. A related AI Learning Path for VP of Human Resources addresses AI adoption for senior HR leaders managing global teams.
Leadership transition
Kailash's appointment follows the exit of Sahil Sharma, who served as RateGain's CHRO. Sharma will remain with the company through October 8 to support the leadership transition.
Why this matters for HR professionals
RateGain's appointment signals a broader pattern: HR leaders are being hired for their ability to manage organizational change alongside technology adoption, not just traditional people operations. Kailash's mandate spans AI integration, post-acquisition integration, and geographic expansion - three pressures that increasingly define the CHRO role at scale. For HR professionals, the takeaway is that experience with cross-border operations and technology-driven transformation is becoming a baseline requirement for top HR roles, not a differentiator.
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