OYO appoints Baja Corp founder Betsy Atkins as independent board member

OYO Hotels and Homes has appointed Betsy Atkins, CEO and founder of Baja Corporations, as an independent director on the company’s board of directors.

As an independent member, Atkins will play a supervisory role, offering business directions to OYO’s founder Ritesh Agarwal and the management on key business decisions, the company said in a statement.

The existing board members include industry Mark Scwartz, vice chairman of Goldman Sachs; Bejul Somaia, partner at Lightspeed India Partners Advisors; Mohit Bhatnagar, managing director of Sequoia Capital India Advisor and Munish Verma, managing partner at SoftBank Vision Fund.

Atkins, at Baja Corporation, has built three early-stage funds to feed into consumer and enterprise software companies. Before Baja, she had co-founded multiple enterprise software companies functioning in various segments including healthcare, networking and energy.

“Betsy brings tremendous operating and governance experience that will help us continue delivering on our mission to help the billions of middle-income people around the world gain access to quality accommodations at different price points,” Agarwal said.

Atkin’s experience in corporate governance, driving tech-enabled efficiencies in business operations as well as ensuring strong business economics will add value to the board, the statement said. She will also play a prominent role in building a culture that promotes and nurtures ‘diversity and inclusion’, an area that she is passionate about, the statement added.

Atkins is currently also the chairman of the board at GlobalLogic, a digital product services engineering company and a board member at Wynn Resorts, SL Green Realty and Volvo.  

“OYO, with its unique asset-light business model and strong data capabilities, is creating something entirely new for the more than three billion middle-income travellers and city dwellers who need accommodations that meet their standards and also their budgets,” Atkins said. “I look forward to working with Ritesh, the management team, and my fellow board members as OYO strives to become the world’s most beloved and preferred hotel brand.”