Mumbai: CollegeDekho, India’s largest higher education ecosystem has appointed Sudhir Bhargava, an expert financial strategist with about 30 years of experience in the internet, education, management advising and services industries, as its Chief Financial Officer.
In his new role, Sudhir will oversee and negotiate strategic mergers and acquisitions alongside leading fundraises and stakeholder management. Sudhir’s appointment comes at the time when CollegeDekho has raised US$ 35 million in its Series B funding and is planning to use the funds to expand into new geographies outside of India, further build its products and services portfolio, and acquire Indian and global companies that complement CollegeDekho’s vision.
Sudhir is highly skilled in investor relations, IPO, fund raising, corporate development, corporate finance, treasury, and business planning. He served as an Executive Vice President of Info Edge India Limited (parent company of Naukri.com), where he was part of the IPO team and handled investor relations, while playing a key role in corporate development.
On the appointment of Sudhir as Chief Financial Officer, Ruchir Arora, Founder & CEO, CollegeDekho, said, “We are excited to have Sudhir onboard. He brings with him enormous expertise in domains representing a wide spectrum of finance, and has vast exposure to the service business such as the internet and education. This combination will help CollegeDekho strengthen the strategic alignment of its finance and business development functions, as it grows exponentially adding new verticals. The entire team at CollegeDekho is looking forward to having a wonderful experience working with Sudhir for years to come.”
Talking about his joining CollegeDekho, Sudhir Bhargava, CFO, CollegeDekho said, “CollegeDekho is disrupting the college discovery space and is growing rapidly in a booming domain. India’s demographics and the value its society attributes to education offers the company a vast opportunity. I see tremendous scope for CollegeDekho to grow multifold and am excited to be a part of its momentous journey.”
Sudhir obtained a Master of Business Administration in Finance and Marketing from Faculty of Management Studies – University of Delhi. He started his career as a Consultant with AF Ferguson and Co, then worked in corporate Banking at ICICI Bank and thereafter as Regional Manager – Sales at HSBC Asset Management India. Besides his 11+ year stint with InfoEdge, Sudhir had also served as a CFO of two companies: MyMoneyMantra, and CL Educate Ltd.
The higher education market in India accounts for over 50% of the Indian education market, valued at US $135 billion in FY20. As an ecosystem leader, CollegeDekho is propelling a change in India’s higher education space making it more student-oriented with its portfolio of services including admissions in India, study abroad, education financing at 0% interest, hostel accommodation, online courses and coaching.
