Change, as they say, is inevitable. CXO movements in the industry are also a case with the promotion of the top executives and business titans to prominent roles. CXO movements and CXO industry trends are scheduled to guarantee continuity and give a suitable window for transitions throughout the crucial first quarters of a fiscal year. Here are the top executive movements that took place in the industry recently.

Battery Smart Appoints Amit Bhardwaj as CFO

Battery Smart, India’s largest battery-swapping network for electric two—and three-wheelers, has appointed Amit Bhardwaj as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO). With more than 20 years of expertise in risk management, financial planning, and company expansion, Amit's appointment is a significant milestone in Battery Smart's growth as it solidifies its position as a leader in the electric mobility market.

With a degree in chartered accounting, Amit brings a wealth of experience from key financial roles at industry leaders like Jubilant FoodWorks, Cars24, Shiprocket, and OYO. He gained a reputation for using strategic foresight and data-driven insights to boost operational efficiency, optimize financial frameworks, and drive growth.

In the new role, Amit will spearhead Battery Smart's financial strategy, increase profitability at scale, and fortify internal controls and governance procedures. Amit has effectively led companies through challenging financial situations throughout his career, increasing profitability and putting in place scalable procedures that promote long-term success. Amit's approach to leadership is focused on creating a welcoming and cooperative atmosphere where groups are encouraged to be creative and productive.

Honasa Consumer Elevates Vipul Maheshwari to Lead Product, Data Analytics

Vipul Maheshwari has been promoted to senior vice president of product and data analytics at Honasa Consumer, the parent company of the beauty and personal care brand Mamaearth. Vipul, who graduated from IIT Delhi, has worked for Honasa for over four years and specializes in data science and analytics. He also worked with Global Analytics India Pvt Ltd and Delhivery. 

As the firm concentrates on data-driven innovation to track business performance, Vipul will continue to take the lead in integrating advanced analytics for product creation. His hiring coincides with a 7 percent drop in Honasa's operating revenue, which came to Rs 462 crore in the September quarter. In addition, it reported a net loss of Rs 19 crore for the quarter as opposed to a net profit of Rs 30 crore for the same period last year.

Mitul Shah as Google MD for India Smartphone Business

Google has named former Apple India executive Mitul Shah as the managing director of its devices and services business in India, a calculated move meant to increase the company's footprint in the country's high-end smartphone market. Mitul, who has over nine years of tech industry experience and was previously in charge of consumer sales at Apple India, has been hired to spearhead the growth of Google's Pixel smartphones in India.

The hiring of Mitul by Google demonstrates the company's expanding goals in India, the second-largest smartphone market in the world.  According to reports, Google's Pixel devices presently only have a 0.04 percent market share in India, despite the country's enormous population. The tech giant is eager to establish Pixel as a formidable competitor in this market, given the nation's growing need for high-end handsets.

With several noteworthy improvements in areas like camera, chipset, and design, the new Pixel 9 series also made its debut, providing consumers with a competitive choice in this already crowded smartphone market.

 

By leveraging his skills, the business hopes to expand the reach of Pixel devices and provide AI-powered experiences to more people across the country.

PhysicsWallah Appoints Amit Sachdeva as Chief Financial Officer

As it gets ready to go public in 2025, the Lightspeed-backed edtech startup has named Amit Sachdeva as its CFO. Amit  has a wealth of tech and consumer sector experience in the role. He was the finance leader at Blinkit (formerly Grofers) till Zomato acquired it in 2022 for Rs. 4,000 crore. In addition, he held financial leadership positions at Wipro's digital operations and platforms vertical and was the CFO of the IT services company IGT Solutions in Gurugram. Amit, who has a background in overseeing finance operations in consumer and software technology, is anticipated to fortify PhysicsWallah's financial plan during its period of quick expansion.

This hiring follows PhysicsWallah's $210 million investment round, which increased its valuation from $1.1 billion to $2.8 billion and was led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and Hornbill Capital Advisers. WestBridge Capital and GSV Ventures, two previous investors, also took part in the round.

PhysicsWallah is rapidly growing its operations as part of its expansion strategy. The company intends to open 40 more centers in cities, including Hyderabad, Chennai, Dehradun, Pune, Nashik, and Coimbatore. In order to expand its services and speed up expansion, it has also devoted almost 60 percent of its most recent capital to mergers and acquisitions.

Fireside Ventures Names Adarsh Menon as Operating Partner

Adarsh Menon, a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of sales and marketing expertise, has been named as the next operating partner of Fireside Ventures, a prominent early-stage venture capital firm that focuses on consumer brands.

Adarsh will become a member of Fireside's leadership team in this capacity and serve on the boards of a few portfolio firms, providing strategic advice. Throughout his remarkable career, Adarsh has held executive positions at well-known businesses like GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Flipkart, and Hindustan Unilever (HUL). He most recently served as Zoomcar's worldwide president, where he oversaw strategic initiatives for six months. Adarsh graduated from the Delhi-based Faculty of Management Studies with an MBA in marketing and human resources.