Sharon AI names Anuj Goel as Chief Financial Officer

Sharon AI has appointed Anuj Goel as Chief Financial Officer, with incumbent finance chief Tim Broadfoot set to depart after a handover period.

Goel joins the Australian artificial intelligence infrastructure company after about two decades at Macquarie, where he most recently served as Head of Technology, APAC, at Macquarie Capital. In that role, he advised boards, founders and investors on technology, telecommunications, media and digital infrastructure transactions across the region.

The appointment comes as Sharon AI expands its AI cloud business and seeks a stronger position in what it describes as sovereign AI infrastructure. Goel is due to start in August, with Broadfoot remaining for several months to support the transition.

Broadfoot is stepping down after helping build the company's financial structure during his tenure. He and Goel will manage the transition jointly.

Macquarie Background

Before leading Macquarie Capital's technology practice in Asia-Pacific, Goel spent six years in Macquarie's global venture capital team, covering investment opportunities in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific.

During that time, he worked across deal origination, financial analysis, valuation, business strategy and portfolio management. He also supported the growth of businesses including PEXA, Temple & Webster, oOh!media and RP Data, now known as Cotality, from an early stage.

Sharon AI is listed on Nasdaq and focuses on cloud-based access to graphics and central processing infrastructure for artificial intelligence workloads. The leadership change points to a greater emphasis on finance, capital management and corporate development as the company grows.

James Manning, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Sharon AI, said Goel's experience made him well suited to the role.

"Anuj brings an exceptional combination of financial leadership, capital markets expertise and deep knowledge of the technology and digital infrastructure sectors. As Sharon AI continues to scale, his experience advising many of the region's leading technology businesses and investors will be invaluable as we execute our long-term growth strategy," Manning said.

"His appointment further strengthens our executive team and reflects the calibre of leadership we are assembling to build one of the world's leading AI infrastructure companies. We thank our outgoing CFO, Tim Broadfoot, for his significant contribution and wish him well for the future. Tim will continue to work within Sharon AI for some months in a handover with Anuj," he added.

Leadership Shift

The finance leadership change comes as investors closely watch companies tied to demand for AI computing resources, particularly those building or financing data centre and cloud infrastructure. In this segment, access to capital and clear oversight of spending have become central issues.

Goel's background in advisory work and venture investing may be relevant in that context, given the capital-intensive nature of AI infrastructure and competition among providers seeking customers that want domestic computing resources.

Goel described the commercial backdrop for his move in a company statement.

"Artificial intelligence is creating one of the most significant opportunities of our generation, and Sharon AI is uniquely positioned to help meet the growing demand for sovereign AI compute. I'm excited to join the company at such an important stage of its journey and look forward to working with the team to build a disciplined financial platform that supports long-term growth while delivering value for customers, partners and shareholders," Goel said.

As Chief Financial Officer, Goel will oversee financial strategy, capital management, corporate development and financial operations. Broadfoot will remain involved during the transition before leaving the company.