Online B2B marketplace Industrybuying appoints Manvinder Kaur as HR head

Industrybuying.com, a Delhi-based online B2B marketplace for industrial goods, has hired former Gap Inc executive Manvinder Kaur as the vice president of human resources.

Kaur will will lead the HR vertical and drive functions such as talent management, employee engagement and corporate training, the company said in a statement.

The company also said it is looking to streamline processes in various divisions such as operations, marketing, sales, product, technology and logistics.

An MBA alumnus from the ICFAI Business School, Kaur has more than a decade's experience in handling various functions of human resources that include strategy, planning, employee relations, management and policies redesign. In her previous assignment, she served as the senior manager of human resources at fashion retailer Gap Inc. At Gap, she was involved in managing relationships with stakeholders, HR managers, local functional leads and functional managers for India, Bangladesh, Korea, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Shanghai and Indonesia, according to her Linkedin profile. Earlier, she had worked at IndusInd Bank.

"I see immense potential in the goal of Industrybuying and look forward to HR being a strategic role as the company moves into its next stage of evolution," said Kaur.

This is the second top-level appointment at Industrybuying in recent months. It had earlier hired Faisal Ansari, co-founder of B2B marketplace for industrial equipment Omnikart, after it closed operations due to disagreement between its two founders on a growth strategy.

Industrybuying was co-founded by siblings Swati and Rahul Gupta in 2013. Swati is a former Bain & Co employee and has 14 years of management consulting and private equity advisory experience in New York and India. Rahul, an alumnus of Columbia University, previously worked as a trader with Lehman Brothers.

In January, the company raised $1.8 million (Rs 12 crore) in debt financing from venture-debt provider Trifecta Capital.

In December last year, Industrybuying.com received an undisclosed amount in angel funding from family members of the Chennai-based Murugappa and TVS groups. It's also backed by Kalaari Capital, SAIF Partners and Teruhide Sato's Beenext.

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