upGrad further strengthens HR leadership with Amit Mehta as CHRO

Edtech firm upGrad has strengthened its HR leadership by appointing Amit Mehta as its new chief human resources officer (CHRO), who will officially step into the role on October 8.

Mehta will spearhead the startup’s global people strategy, focusing on organisational effectiveness, talent development, and performance management initiatives as part of a larger effort to strengthen human resources within the Mumbai-headquartered edtech firm.

Before joining upGrad, Mehta led the HR function for Hindustan Unilever Limited’s home care division, spearheading strategic talent development and growth initiatives as talent and organisation director for Unilever’s South Asia markets.

“Amit’s appointment accelerates our strategic priorities—fostering a culture of innovation, inclusivity, and collaboration. His leadership capabilities will support us in building a future-ready organisation,” said Ronnie Screwvala, Co-founder and Chairperson of upGrad.

As part of upGrad’s ongoing initiative to strengthen HR leadership, the company appointed Shailesh Mahale as corporate HR head and Kumar Anshu as the head of human resources for the working professionals, study abroad, and offline segments in March. Additionally, it promoted Vandana Kaushik Goel to head of human resources for the enterprise division.

“upGrad’s new decade of growth demands a bold vision for talent development,” Screwvala remarked.

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Earlier this month, the edtech firm’s corporate skilling and workforce development division welcomed five senior leaders for various domains. All these appointments have significantly bolstered upGrad’s leadership team, which has expanded substantially over the past year through strategic hires.

Back in March 2024, upGrad appointed Venkatesh Tarakkad as its first chief financial officer. In February, it named Ankur Nyati president of its study abroad segment, succeeding Ankur Dhawan.

At the beginning of 2024, the edtech company hired CP Gurnani, the former CEO and MD of Tech Mahindra, as an independent non-executive director to its Board. This was preceded by Asheesh Sharma’s appointment as president of short courses and boot camps at upGrad.

Last year, too, upGrad made strategic leadership appointments, hiring Ipshita Kajla as HR head for upGrad Abroad, Raj Dogra as chief information officer, and Rajiv H Singh as vice president for new initiatives.

In FY23, the edtech company recorded a revenue of Rs 1,194 crore, up 96.4% from the previous financial year’s Rs 608 crore.

Its losses widened 76% to Rs 1,141 crore compared to Rs 648 crore in the prior year. It has not filed its FY24 numbers yet.

Founded in 2015 by Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, and Phalgun Kompalli, upGrad operates across various educational sectors, encompassing test preparation, study abroad programmes, undergraduate degrees, and courses in collaboration with over 300 university partners.

In June 2024, the Mumbai-based edtech unicorn raised Rs 287.5 crore in debt from Singapore-headquartered EvolutionX Debt Capital, with the proceeds intended for growth capital, funding operating expenses, and general corporate purposes.