Practo, a leading digital healthcare platform, has appointed Cijo George as Vice President of Artificial Intelligence, effective March 3, 2026. In this role, George will spearhead the company’s AI initiatives, collaborating with various teams to enhance the application of artificial intelligence in care navigation, provider tools, and overall platform intelligence. His appointment is timely as Practo aims to scale its operations in India while expanding its presence in international markets, notably the UAE and the United States.
George will work closely with Practo’s product, engineering, and clinical teams to integrate AI technologies that improve how patients discover and access healthcare services. Additionally, he will focus on enhancing the accuracy, reliability, and consistency of care delivery by medical professionals. He will report directly to Shashank ND, Co-founder and CEO of Practo.
“Over the last 17 years, we have built extensive healthcare intelligence across patients, doctors, clinics, and outcomes,” said Shashank ND. “AI unlocks the full potential of this data, helping patients achieve better outcomes while providing doctors with insights that genuinely enhance care delivery. Cijo brings exceptional expertise in developing real-world AI platforms, and his commitment to leveraging AI for meaningful impact aligns perfectly with our mission.”
George brings nearly two decades of experience in machine learning and AI platform development. Prior to joining Practo, he held senior roles at Observe.AI, where he focused on creating large-scale, production-ready AI systems for global enterprises. Earlier in his career, he led the Platform & AI division at Belong.co, concentrating on search and personalization within the HR technology sector. He also contributed to the Advanced Technology Group at NetApp, where he worked on machine learning and data science solutions for large-scale distributed systems. George holds a Master’s degree in High Performance Computing from the Indian Institute of Science.
“What attracted me to Practo is the chance to apply AI in ways that can significantly enhance patient care experiences and improve how doctors deliver services,” George stated. “Practo operates at an unparalleled scale and has accumulated deep, longitudinal healthcare data across patients and providers over many years. This, combined with its role as a neutral platform in the ecosystem, provides a robust foundation for building AI systems that can genuinely enhance health outcomes at scale. I am eager to contribute to this journey.”
With George’s appointment, Practo continues to strengthen its leadership team, investing in long-term capabilities across technology, platform depth, and global outreach. The company is dedicated to improving health outcomes through transparency, aligned incentives, and personalized care.
Founded on 17 years of structured healthcare data, Practo operates one of the world’s largest care-navigation platforms, helping millions of patients discover, book, and complete their healthcare journeys with trusted doctors in over 2,400 cities worldwide. Its consumer platform serves as a comprehensive solution for doctor discovery, booking, and fulfillment, connecting users to more than 700,000 healthcare providers.
Additionally, Practo supports hospitals and clinics through Insta, a full-stack hospital information management system utilized by over 500 clients across more than 1,200 facilities globally. Together, these offerings enhance clinical decision-making, boost operational efficiency, and support improved health outcomes.
With a solid data foundation and a proven model in India, the Middle East, and the United States, Practo is building a global healthcare infrastructure designed for trust, accessibility, and measurable impact, aiming to bring its India-developed innovations to healthcare systems worldwide.