upGrad Boosts Enterprise Delivery Vertical With New India Head

SUMMARY

The startup has onboarded Neeraj Gera as the India head for enterprise delivery

It has also roped in Neha Prasad Mullick as the vice president for enterprise sales in North America

These appointments come at a time when upGrad is looking to expand its footprint in India, Eastern Europe and North America

Edtech unicorn upGrad has roped in Dentsu’s former chief operating officer Neeraj Gera as the India head for enterprise delivery.

Under his leadership, upGrad aims to strengthen its presence across India.

Prior to this, Gera led global giant Dentsu’s GCC in India and Philippines. Before that, he also served as the president at travel tech platform TBO.COM. Besides, he worked at Genpact as the senior vice president and COO for more than a decade.

Apart from this, the Mumbai-based edtech company also onboarded former Amazon executive Neha Prasad Mullick as the vice president for enterprise sales in North America. With this new role, she will be responsible for driving product market fit and industry specific services in the North American region.

These appointments come at a time when upGrad is looking to expand its footprint in India, Eastern Europe and North America.

“Gera and Mullick each bring extensive global experience in scaling businesses and their expertise will be pivotal as we scale upGrad Enterprise to a new level,” upGrad chief executive officer Srikanth Iyengar said.

Founded by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar and Phalgun Kompalli in 2015, upGrad offers online and hybrid skilling programmes, certifications, and bootcamps. It also facilitates diploma, master’s and executive doctorate programmes from top Indian and global universities, along with corporate skilling and recruitment services.

The company operates in several global markets including the UK, US, Middle East, India, Singapore and Vietnam.

A few weeks ago, the startup signed an agreement with the Maharashtra government to set up AI excellence centres across the state with an initial investment of INR 2,150 Cr ($248.82 Mn).

Last year, Kumar stepped down from his position as a cofounder to float a new edtech venture, BorderPlus.

Around the same time upGrad raised $60 Mn from Singapore state investment firm Temasek.

The company posted a 76% surge in its net loss to INR 1,141.5 Cr in FY23 from INR 648.2 Cr in the previous fiscal year. Meanwhile, its operating revenue jumped 97% to INR 1,169.6 Cr in the year under review, against INR 595 Cr in the previous fiscal year.