Singulr AI appoints Bask Iyer to steer enterprise AI governance

Singulr AI has appointed former VMware and Dell Technologies executive Bask Iyer as Strategic Advisor, as the company targets rising demand for governance around artificial intelligence in large organisations.

The Palo Alto-based firm focuses on AI security and governance for enterprise customers. It is positioning Iyer's appointment as a response to rapid adoption of AI systems and growing regulatory scrutiny.

Iyer has spent more than 30 years in senior technology roles at global companies. He previously served as Chief Information Officer and Chief Digital Transformation Officer at both VMware and Dell Technologies.

At those firms he oversaw IT and digital strategy during major shifts. These included the Dell-EMC merger and VMware's move towards cloud services.

Iyer has also held CIO roles at Juniper Networks, Honeywell, and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare. He currently sits on several boards and advises a number of AI and fintech businesses.

Singulr AI said it wants to work more closely with CIOs and other senior executives as they introduce AI across operations. The company said Iyer's background in large-scale transformation will support that goal.

Shiv Agarwal, Co-Founder and Chief Executive of Singulr AI, said the appointment reflects growing pressure on enterprises as they deploy more advanced AI tools, including autonomous systems.

"Bask has lived and led through some of the largest and most complex enterprise transformations of the past two decades," said Shiv Agarwal, Co-Founder and CEO of Singulr AI. "As agentic AI rapidly moves from experiment to everyday reality, his experience and clear-eyed view on balancing innovation with trust are exactly what enterprises need right now. We're thrilled to have him advising our team and our customers."

Agentic AI systems use software agents that can act with a degree of autonomy. These systems can trigger processes, generate content, and interact with other tools without direct human input at every step.

Enterprises are testing such systems in functions such as customer service, software development, finance, and procurement. This trend is creating new oversight and compliance questions for IT, security, and risk teams.

Iyer said boards and executives face a limited window for establishing controls over AI. He warned that unmanaged experimentation could spread across departments.

"We know that there is no point in closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. Now is the time for IT professionals to implement and enable agentic AI in enterprises," Iyer said. "Agents are being created for every function with or without the CIO's approval. It is non-negotiable to have a governance platform like Singulr AI now, before the problem becomes unmanageable."

Singulr AI offers a governance and security platform for enterprise AI use. The platform aims to give IT, security, privacy, and risk teams a single view of AI projects and data flows.

The company's core product is Singulr Pulse. This tool provides real-time intelligence on AI usage and associated risks.

Singulr Pulse tracks how AI systems handle data and interact with internal and external services. It also monitors compliance with internal policies and emerging rules.

Regulators in multiple markets are increasing oversight of AI. They are focusing on issues such as transparency, data protection, bias, and auditability of automated decision-making.

Large organisations are also facing pressure from customers and partners. They must show how they manage AI-related risks across complex global operations.

Singulr AI said Iyer will advise customers on establishing early "guardrails" for AI projects. The firm said his experience with previous technology shifts, including cloud and software-as-a-service, gives him insight into patterns of adoption and sprawl.

Those earlier shifts saw many companies face problems with "shadow IT". Business units adopted tools without central oversight. Iyer is expected to address similar risks as employees roll out AI agents and models without formal governance.

His appointment also underlines the increasing role of CIOs in broader business strategy. Many boards now view AI as a core driver of growth and efficiency.

At the same time, CIOs and CISOs sit at the centre of debates over ethical use of AI, data sovereignty, and operational resilience. Specialist governance platforms have emerged to address this mix of demands.

Webinar focus

Iyer will appear with Singulr AI executives in a live webinar titled "The CIO's AI Playbook: Driving Innovation, Governance, and ROI". The session will focus on practical steps for establishing trust and control around autonomous AI agents in large environments.

Richard Bird, Chief Security Officer at Singulr AI, will moderate the discussion. Bird is known in the industry for his work on AI security and governance.

The event will also feature Lonnie Johnson, CIO at KVC Health Systems. Johnson will share a healthcare sector perspective on aligning AI projects with governance, compliance, and operational resilience expectations.

Speakers plan to examine how platforms such as Singulr Pulse support oversight of AI-driven data flows. They will also look at how enterprises can respond to emerging regulation and manage an expanding ecosystem of AI agents.

Iyer will use the session to outline his approach to responsible AI adoption with CIOs and senior leaders. He will also discuss how governance strategies developed during past technology transitions might apply to current AI deployments.