LetsTransport, Shadowfax name tech heads; Uber, ZestMoney announce key elevations

Bengaluru-based logistics-tech startup LetsTransport has announced the appointment of Parijat Rathore as its Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

The executive comes from the role of senior engineering manager at Flipkart and will be responsible for leading LetsTransport’s core engineering and product teams with the aim to offer a seamless experience to the company's customers.

He will drive the engineering functions of the company while building up the tech team and steering pivots around delivering high quality products and ensuring a tech-focused 20x journey.

LetsTransport said it plans to hire over 50 people in engineering, data, product and design verticals over the next 6-8 months.

"The addition of Parijat will significantly fortify LetsTransport business. His vast experience in creating scalable superior products will further strengthen our ability to deliver superior experiences to truckers as well as enterprises,” Sudarshan Ravi Jha, CPO & co-founder at LetsTransport, said while commenting on the appointment.

Rathore brings more than 15 years of engineering experience to LetsTransport. Before Flipkart, he worked with brands such as Rivigo, Eicher Goodearth, Shopsity, and Unicommerce.

Shadowfax Technologies

Crowdsourced logistics platform Shadowfax Technologies said it has appointed former Flipkart engineering manager Sumit Pilankar as the Vice President of Engineering and Technology.

The executive brings nearly two decades of experience to Shadowfax and will be responsible for spearheading the engineering and technology vertical of the Bengaluru-based company and creating innovative tech-enabled solutions to power last-mile delivery services.

Pilankar will report directly to Vaibhav Khandelwal, the co-founder & CTO of Shadowfax Technologies. Before Flipkart, he held tech roles at HolidayIQ, Lurn Inc, WonderPoint Technologies, Kudos Infomedia and MAQ Software.

“The industry has been transforming from manual to data-driven decision making and this, when coupled with the latest technologies, will enhance the experiences for all stakeholders.

 I am glad to be at a place that believes in innovation and is setting up new benchmarks in ensuring customer delight each day,” the VP of Engineering said while commenting on his appointment.

“I will focus on leading this growth and implementing the right strategies for scaling up the business,” he added.

Uber

Ride-hailing giant Uber said on Thursday it has elevated Manasi Chadha, its APAC head of digital experience, to the role of head of customer experience for India and South Asia.

In the new role, effective immediately, Chadha will work towards ensuring that the customers of the company’s mobility and delivery business get the best service experience. She has been with Uber for the past three years and will also be supporting the company’s growing presence in strategic South Asian markets.

“With these new responsibilities, I look forward to working with exceptional teams and colleagues at Uber to strengthen our customer service across product offerings. As cities begin moving again, our priority will be to offer the highest standards of safety and service quality to our riders and drivers...,” she said in a statement.

Overall, Chadha has over 16 years of industry experience with deep knowledge around strategy and planning, sales transformation, building and scaling products, and driving large cross-functional programs.

Commenting on the elevation, Prabhjeet Singh, President at Uber India and South Asia, said, “She (Manasi) has had an exceptional track record with Uber since 2018. She is obsessed with ensuring our customers get a seamless and delightful experience, and I know she will continue to improve the service they receive.

“At Uber, we are building and strengthening a diverse team of industry experts who understand the impact and potential of ridesharing,” he added.

ZestMoney

Online credit platform ZestMoney said it has elevated Mandar Satpute, its VP of banking partnerships, to the role of Chief Banking Officer (CBO).

In the new role, Satpute will lead the entire operations of the lending platform, including lender relationships, business operations and collections. He will also continue to oversee customer operations, collections and supply of balance sheet to the platform.

The broader goal would be to accelerate the adoption of the buy now, pay later platform, ZestMoney said in a statement.

Mandar, an IIM Calcutta alumnus, has been with ZestMoney for over four and a half years. Prior to this, he held senior positions at Citibank and TCS in functions ranging from relationships in retail banking, corporate banking, sales and business development to financial inclusion for PSU banks, compliance and audits.

He also held managerial roles at Asian Paints and Philips Consumer Electronics.

The total experience of the executive goes over 22 years.

We are delighted to have a person of Mandar Satpute’s stature who brings solid leadership experience in building and managing large teams and setting up strong systems driven organisations, as we scale our Ops set up,” Priya Sharma, co-founder, CFO and COO at ZestMoney, said.

“He is one of the senior most members of the Zest leadership team and has been a strong pillar of support over the past four years. As we cater to the massive demand for BNPL, partnerships with banks/NBFCs will be key. ZestMoney has been a pioneer in driving collaborations, Mandar will fortify our position in the market,” Sharma added.