Prosus-owned OLX Group, a global leader in classifieds marketplaces, announced the appointment of Gautam Thakar as global CEO of OLX Autos, effective March 15, 2021. Thakar will lead a worldwide organisation with a workforce of more than 4,000 employees across Asia, Africa, Latam, and the United States.
OLX Autos is shaping the future of car trade by bringing peace-of-mind to car buyers and sellers in one of life’s biggest transactions, addressing a $100Bn car market opportunity in countries where it operates. OLX Autos runs online digital trading platforms in addition to more than 500 inspection centres across the Americas, Asia and Africa, each year inspecting 300,000 vehicles and enabling 130,000 vehicle transactions.
Most recently Thakar was CEO of Star Sports in India which was acquired by the Walt Disney Company. Prior to that Thakar was in the US for over a decade and brings deep leadership experience in pioneering digital marketplaces as former global CEO of Shopping.com and LivingSocial (acquired by Groupon). Thakar was a part of the founding management team of baazee.com which pioneered ecommerce in India before being acquired by eBay in 2005.
Martin Scheepbouwer, CEO, OLX Group, said, “I’m extremely pleased to welcome Gautam as Global CEO of OLX Autos. He brings a unique set of capabilities to this exciting opportunity including an exceptional general management track record, strong customer orientation, deep marketplace experience, and a rich experience leading and inspiring teams on a global footprint. We will all benefit from his wealth of knowledge and experience as we bring convenience and trust to the way people buy and sell cars.”
Commenting on his appointment, Gautam Thakar said, “I am delighted with the opportunity and responsibility to lead the impressive global OLX Autos team. I’ve long watched the bold and ambitious approach taken by Naspers and Prosus as they’ve built great companies in so many exciting markets, including India. OLX Group’s commitment to this business is unparalleled and I am inspired to join the team to build the world’s most trusted platform for buying and selling cars.”
Thakar brings a strong consumer focus from his early days of his career as a brand manager at P&G in Asia and a stint leading international marketing for eBay marketplaces. He has lived and worked in India, Philippines and the US and managed country teams across 15+ markets throughout his career. He will remain based in India in his new global role, and starts March 15, 2021.
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