ONDC To Likely Rope In Paytm’s Rohit Lohia As CBO

SUMMARY

Lohia’s appointment will fill the gap left by Shireesh Joshi, who resigned from the CBO role in March this year

Lohia was involved in strategy, growth, and business operations at Paytm, and held board positions at both Paytm Money and QorQl

The appointment comes as ONDC grapples with declining retail transactions and recent high-profile exits, including CEO Thampy Koshy and CBO Shireesh Joshi

Update | October 23, 03:23 PM

Ex-Paytm senior vice president Rohit Lohia has joined the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) as its new Chief Business Officer (CBO). In a statement shared today, ONDC confirmed the appointment of Lohia about a couple of weeks after it was reported that he would be taking the position.

“My aim is to foster an ecosystem where transparent access, innovation, and operational excellence go hand in hand. Together, we will empower small businesses and enable creation of a win-win relationship between sellers and buyers by unlocking value across the digital commerce landscape,” Lohia said.

During his over six years long stint at Paytm, Lohia led business strategy, operations, product development, among other key verticals. He also served on the boards of Paytm Money and One97 Communication India Ltd.

Prior to joining Paytm in 2019, he helmed fintech startup Cointribe as its cofounder for about four years. Besides, his near two decades long career also includes engagements with Dalmia Bharat and Boston Consulting Group.

His appointment fills the vacancy left by ONDC’s former CBO Shireesh Joshi, who resigned in March 2025.

Adding to the leadership turmoil at ONDC, the network is currently on the lookout for a new chief technology officer (CTO), as per Lohia’s recent LinkedIn post. Former ONDC CTO Nitin Mishra quit his position with the state-backed network in July 2025 to join NPCI as an executive director – operate.

Original | September 27, 12:18 AM

Rohit Lohia, senior vice-president at Paytm, will reportedly join the state-backed Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) as its new chief business officer (CBO), as per a Moneycontrol report.

Lohia’s appointment is expected to fill the gap left by Shireesh Joshi, who resigned from the CBO role in March this year. For context, Lohia was involved in strategy, growth, and business operations at Paytm, and held board positions at both Paytm Money and QorQl.

The move comes amid top-level churn at ONDC. In the past few months, the network has witnessed a series of senior management departures, including the exit of CEO Thampy Koshy in April and independent director Arvind Gupta in June.

ONDC has since placed its operational reins in the hands of an eight-member executive committee, and elevated chief operating officer (COO) Vibhor Jain as acting CEO.

Both ONDC and Paytm declined to comment on Lohia’s appointment.

Notably, Lohia is set to assume the CBO role at a time when ONDC’s retail vertical is under pressure despite doling out incentives. While the platform recorded 17.94 Mn transactions in August 2025, a 2.7% increase month-on-month, growth was mainly concentrated in mobility and logistics sectors, which together constituted over 14 Mn transactions.

On the other hand, retail transactions, a traditional growth driver for ONDC, fell to 3.76 Mn last month. This was nearly half of 6.1 Mn transactions in August 2024.

As a result, Lohia’s arrival comes at a critical point for ONDC as it looks to reverse the downtrend in retail and stabilise the leadership team.

ONDC classifies its business into three main segments – retail, logistics, and mobility. Retail covers categories like food, fashion, and electronics; logistics handles delivery fulfillment and last-mile solutions; and mobility includes ride-hailing and public transit ticketing.