FreeCharge appoints Sudeep Tandon as chief business officer

Online recharge and utility payments portal FreeCharge, which was acquired in April by e-commerce marketplace Snapdeal, has appointed Sudeep Tandon as chief business officer.

Tandon, who would be based in Bangalore, will be responsible for FreeCharge's corporate strategy and strategic alliances, as per a press statement.

"FreeCharge is at an exciting stage post acquisition by Snapdeal and we are expanding management bandwidth to reach to next level. Tandon was a key advisor during the early days of FreeCharge and has deep understanding about the brand's vision. His process-orientated approach and continuous push for innovation will strengthen our execution," said Kunal Shah, CEO and co-founder of FreeCharge.

Tandon has over eight years of experience and has worked with firms such as Samsung, Cisco and Cartesian.

"I am excited to re-join FreeCharge as it is an enthusiastic workplace always experimenting with futuristic ideas and dipping hands into verity of variants like electricity and gas payments. I look forward to play an active role in this endeavour and innovate more and more," said Tandon.

Tandon has an MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management and MS in electrical engineering from University of South Carolina.

FreeCharge's erstwhile chief business development officer Ninad Takpere had quit in May, as per details on his LinkedIn profile.

FreeCharge is one of India's top recharge platforms allowing users to pay their mobile, DTH and other utility bills across most major operators. Last November, the firm said that almost 80 per cent of its transactions come from mobile users.

Snapdeal's move to acquire FreeCharge is billed as one of the biggest acquisition in the internet business in India. Snapdeal did not declared the deal value but separate media reports had pegged the deal value to be $300-400 million. Post the acquisition, FreeCharge continues to function as an independent platform.