upGrad appoints former BYJU’s business head Arjun Mohan as India CEO

Edtech startup upGrad has recently announced that it has appointed Arjun Mohan as its India business Chief Executive Officer. Arjun Mohan will be the first occupant of the CEO-India chair for upGrad, as the position was vacant since the company’s inception.

Talking about Mohan’s appointment, upGrad Co-founder and MD Mayank Kumar in an official statement said, “Arjun brings with him a rich understanding of the online education space, the evolving consumer landscape, and keen business acumen. I’m glad to have him on board as upGrad establishes a leadership position in the 50M+ working professional ecosystem in India. We have only scratched the surface of this large addressable market and with Arjun coming on board, I am certain that we will push towards further cementing our leadership position in the online higher education market.”

Prior to joining upGrad, Mohan was associated with upGrad’s direct competitor and edtech unicorn BYJU’S.

According to the company statement, a former Chief Business Officer (CBO) of BYJU’s, Mohan brings over a decade of experience in the edtech sector, and was one of the early employees of Think and Learn (which runs BYJU’s).

Mohan began his career at BYJU’s as a teacher and later rose through the ranks to take a leadership role. He oversaw the company’s sales and marketing verticals in its early years and was handling its international business until recently.

Commenting on his appointment, Mohan said, “From where I see, there is a huge potential in the online higher education space, and upGrad with its unique proposition is set to win the market. Being part of the core team that drove exponential business growth in my previous organization, I am confident of leveraging my experience to further accelerate upGrad’s growth journey.”

Prior to BYJU’s, he has worked with Titan Industries, Tata Motors, Tata Realty and Infrastructure Ltd (TRIL), and Sir Dorabji Tata and Allied Trusts. Earlier the company has also brought in Kushal Dev Kashyap from BYJU’s to head Direct Sales. As of May 2019, the company has a strength of over 400 employees and plans to add 100+ employees in FY20.

upGrad was founded by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar, Phalgun Kompalli, and Ravijot Chugh in 2015. upGrad offers online programs in the areas of Data Science, Technology, Management, and MBA to working professionals. The company claims to have over 21,500 paid learners.

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