New Delhi: Global travel technology platform, OYO, today, has announced the appointment of two new senior leaders for engineering and data science. Nirdosh Chouhan, previously at Apple, joins the company as the Senior Vice President of Engineering, while Kranthi Mitra Adusumilli, previously at Swiggy, comes onboard as OYO’s Sr. Principal Data Scientist.
As a part of his role at OYO, Nirdosh Chouhan will spearhead OYO’s Core Engineering Platforms which plays a critical role in OYO’s business. With his expertise and experience that spans across 18+ years, he will focus on scaling systems for OYO’s future growth. Nirdosh, an alumni of IIM Bangalore has previously been associated with large global technology companies such as Apple, Oracle and Infosys amongst others.
On his appointment, Nirdosh said, “I truly believe that with the power of engineering, we can simplify experiences. Discovering compelling new experiences and product features continuously is a big part of OYO’s DNA. Especially in today’s world where high adaptability could usher in higher growth. Engineers at OYO are given the freedom to experiment and find new ways to reduce complexities and make systems effectively cost-efficient to deliver higher value to its patrons and consumers. I am glad to be a part of such a driven organization and team.”
In line with the company’s goals to offer a technology-led and superior patron and customer experience, Kranthi Mitra Adusumilli will lead OYO’s Data Science teams to build ML algorithms for engaging personalized experiences. An alumni of IIT Delhi, a PhD in Operations Research from The University of Texas at Austin and nearly 2 decades of experience, Kranthi comes with vast expertise and experience in data science and AI technology. Previously, he has worked with companies such as Swiggy, Viki AI and Mu Sigma amongst others.
On his appointment, Kranthi said, “OYO’s mission to improve patrons’ experience resonates with me. Along with being data-rich, there is an immense opportunity to deliver impact through robust AI solutions like personalization and pricing. Excited to join OYO at this juncture and hope to expedite the AI journey.”
Both Nirdosh and Kranthi will directly report to Ankit Mathuria, Chief Technology Officer, OYO. These strategic hires will bring more experience at leadership roles in tech & product and bolster OYO’s next phase of product & tech led growth across geographies. As of March 31, 2021, nearly 13.2% of OYO’s total workforce are a part of the engineering function, with a majority based in India.
Ankit Mathuria, Chief Technology Officer, OYO said, “With our unique two-sided technology platform, we are focussed on comprehensively addressing key pain points of hotel and home owners and customers. We are also an organisation that keeps evolving expeditiously. We believe in hiring OYOpreneurs who think long-term and have high ambition to build capabilities for the company. I, along with the entire leadership and technology team are extremely happy to welcome Nirdosh and Kranthi to our family. I am confident that with their deep expertise and diverse experiences from different industries and businesses, they will take OYO’s products and services to the next level.”
Parallelly, the company has also begun hiring across top university campuses. In its first leg, OYO has visited campuses including IITs in Kanpur, BHU, Goa, Guwahati, Patna, Roorkee, Gandhi Nagar, Delhi, Chennai and Kharagpur. So far, OYO has primarily onboarded software developer engineers with good analytical, reasoning capabilities and talent that understands core computer science fundamentals like Data Structures and Algorithms. As of today, OYO has visited 7 of the 10 IITs and rolled out close to 40+ offers.
Commenting on these senior hires and future plans, Dinesh Ramamurthi, Chief Human Resource Officer, OYO said, “We are proud to associate with such senior leaders and are sure that with their guidance and leadership, we will elevate OYO’s position as a global technology-first company. Our approach has been to bring to the system culturally fit team members who are ready to think outside the box and build disruptive technologies to progress our business.”
Earlier this year, the company hired Ankit Mathuria as Chief Technology Officer who has previously worked at Amazon. In August 2021, OYO announced intent to hire 300+ technology professionals including software development, engineering and product managers, designers, data scientists across entry-level to senior leadership roles. Earlier this year, OYO entered into a multi-year strategic alliance with Microsoft in September 2021 to co-develop next-generation travel and hospitality products and tech using Microsoft’s cloud and AI capabilities. The tech giant also made a strategic equity investment in OYO.
