Troubled edtech startup Byju's said on Monday that it has roped in Richard Lobo as an exclusive advisor for its human resources function.
The appointment follows up a series of appointments that the beleaguered startup has been undertaking for the last two months. The startup had appointed former State Bank of India chairman Rajnish Kumar and former Infosys finance chief TV Mohandas Pai to its newly constituted advisory council, which will aid Byju's board and its chief, Byju Raveendran, on crucial matters concerning the company.
It also roped in upGrad's former chief Arjun Mohan to oversee its international business. Mohan, who formerly served as chief business officer at Byju's for over 11 years, was brought on board in a consulting role.
In his new role, Lobo will actively guide Byju’s management on organizational change in the workplace for its employees.
“Richard’s experience and leadership in HR will be instrumental in improving our work culture and ensuring that the welfare of our team members remains at the core of every decision we take,” said Byju Raveendran, founder and chief executive officer, and Divya Gokulnath, co-founder, Byju's.
Prior to joining Byju's, Lobo served as the executive vice president and head of human resources at Infosys, where he worked for 23 years. He also briefly worked with the Godrej group.
“I look forward to working with the leadership to scale global organisational design, innovate people practices, and help strengthen the foundation of the enterprise to support its next phase of growth,” said Lobo.
The edtech startup has been fighting multiple battles including auditor and board member resignations, governance lapses related to regulatory compliance, and valuation markdowns.
This month, private equity firm Blackstone and the Chaudhry family, the two minority shareholders in Aakash Educational Services Ltd declined to swap their equity holding in Aakash with parent Think & Learn Pvt. Ltd, which operates Byju’s, leading to a potential impasse in the conclusion of a deal that was originally announced as a cash-plus-equity merger.
