Deere CIO to retire after 28 years with the company – CIO Dive

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Raj Kalathur, who was also the president of John Deere Financial, will remain in both roles until Jan. 31, 2026.
The agricultural industry has seen massive technology changes in the last three decades, as sensors were added to every machine and data became a valuable byproduct of every mower. 
John Deere, founded in 1837, didn’t shy away from its potential. In 1996, just before Kalathur’s start date as a project manager in business development, the company began outfitting tractor cabs with satellite-based navigation, which allowed for more accurate planning and harvesting. In the years that followed, John Deere embraced precision agriculture, smart farming and autonomous vehicles, the first of which it unveiled at CES in 2022.
Front of the house success requires back of the house tech to be in order. In 2019, around the time Kalathur took on the CIO position, John Deere launched an effort to establish a global agile practice alongside a tech modernization push, looking to increase speed and efficiency. It was an expensive and multiyear undertaking but it delivered a more than 100% ROI and increased engineering output by 165%, according to a 2022 case study published by Scrum Inc., which provides consulting services to businesses.
John Deere Financial is another example of how technology can transform business. Launched in 1958 as a credit company, John Deere Financial now leans on fintech capabilities and services, a transition Kalathur helped propel, according to the company website.
Although the two are distinct parts of the company, Kalathur’s dual role in finance and IT provided “strong alignment between our technology modernization efforts and the financial systems that support customers, dealers, and the broader business,” a company spokesperson said.
As Kalathur prepares to exit the company, the agriculture industry continues to evolve. Last month during its Q4 2025 earnings, John Deere reported net income of $1.06 billion, a 14% decline year over year while worldwide net sales and revenues increased 11%, to $12.39 billion. Despite seeing some growth in Q4, CEO John May described fiscal 2025 as challenging due to headwinds from tariffs and cautious consumer spending.
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Shobhit Varshney will help scale AI capabilities at the financial services company, Citi COO Anand Selvakesari said in an internal memo Tuesday.
CIOs and their businesses, from PepsiCo to Principal Financial Group, are sifting through the noise and establishing guardrails to speed up time to value.
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