Ola hires Pranav Tiwari and Sanjay Kharb as VPs of Engineering

After a spate of high-profile management exits, cab-aggregator Ola is compensating for the losses with two significant appointments, strengthening its core technology leadership.

Pranav Tiwari, former CTO of Cellworks as well as an ex-Googler has joined as the Vice President of Engineering and will be working towards optimising growth and profitability by bringing in necessary efficiencies in the supply chain function. On the other hand, Sanjay Kharb who was earlier VP - Production Engineering at InMobi has joined as Vice President of Engineering Infrastructure and will strengthen efficiencies in Ola’s technology infrastructure including site operability, compliance and data systems.

“Ola has consistently invested in technology, consolidating supply chain and building a robust technological backbone, by bringing onboard world class talent. Both Pranav’s and Sanjay’s roles are critical and essential to steer Ola to its next phase of growth. They bring in relevant and significant experience with large technology businesses, and they have an integral role to play in Ola’s aspirations to create innovative solutions that will efficiently solve for the diverse mobility needs of the country. I am excited to welcome them in joining our mission of building mobility for a billion Indians,” said Ankit Bhati, CTO and Co-founder at Ola.

Pranav Tiwari will be leading Ola’s team of engineers to enhance and develop Ola’s fulfilment stack and allotment platform. The team will work closely with the supply chain team to help create a better experience for customers and driver partners alike, by building solutions that will effectively optimise the use of vehicles on the platform, reduce deviations in routes, and improve matching of the customer with drivers, among others.

“Ola has redefined the way India travels. Ola is driven by the vision of building sustainable mobility solutions for a billion Indians, and I am extremely excited to join this mission. I am looking forward to building innovative solutions alongside the brilliant team at Ola, solving for India’s unique commuting needs.” said Pranav Tiwari on his appointment as Vice President - Engineering, Ola.

With over 20 years of varied experience in e-commerce, mobile advertising, travel, IoT and auto industry Sanjay Kharb led the technology infrastructure domain in Inmobi. He has also worked with Makemytrip as the Vice President of Business Intelligence, Data Platform, Data Science, Infrastructure and Security.

The new appointments come on the heels of a series of top-level exits from Ola. Recently, Ola bid goodbye to its Chief Financial Officer Rajiv Bansal and Chief Marketing Officer Raghuvesh Sarup. The company has also reportedly parted ways with its chief operating officer of offline initiatives Anuj Bhargava, who is recognised for launching prominent initiatives like Ola Play.