Softbank-funded Unacademy on Tuesday appointed former Airtel executive Navneet Sharma as chief business officer – new initiatives, to chart growth strategy, business plan and sales development frameworks for its test preparation business.
This is the second senior managerial appointment by Unacademy in the immediate past and comes at a time when online edtech players hustle to expand offline as the world is clawing its way out of the covid-19 pandemic.
Last week, Unacademy appointed ex-Xiaomi executive Sunil Baby as chief business officer to spearhead growth and expansion of its offline network.
With over 18 years of experience in strategy, sales and marketing, Sharma will be responsible for formulating new avenues of growth for Unacademy’s hybrid test prep models, the company said in a statement.
“At Unacademy, we are expanding the value offerings to achieve the next level of growth for our edtech offerings. Following the plan to achieve our goals, we are focusing on strengthening the team with exceptional minds. Navneet’s experience and knowledge will be invaluable in assisting us in accomplishing our ambition,” said Vivek Sinha, chief operating officer, Unacademy.
Navneet is a chemical engineer and did his MBA in marketing and finance from SCMHRD in Pune.
Early this month, Unacademy forayed into the offline learning space by rolling out its two coaching centres in Kota. Most of the edtech players are now building their offline presence across India amid a slowing down in the sector after two years of hypergrowth as Covid-19 curbs have eased and students started returning to physical classes.
Last week, Unacademy asked 150 employees to leave after a performance improvement plan.
This comes after the edtech unicorn laid off around 600-800 employees from its sales and marketing team, along with a few contractual staff and educators or tutors, in April.