Balachandar stepping down is yet another senior-level exit at the Ola group this year. In October, Ola Consumer chief business officer Siddharth Shakdher quit.N Balachandar, senior vice president and group chief people officer at Bhavish Aggarwal-led Ola group, has quit, people in the know said.
Balachandar was appointed as the chief human resources officer of Ola Electric in May 2021 and was elevated to the group level later that year. He headed the HR function for ride-hailing firm Ola Cabs (now Ola Consumer), listed electric two-wheeler maker Ola Electric and artificial intelligence startup Krutrim.
One of the people said Balachandar has started a management consultancy firm. “He had been in discussions with Bhavish (Aggarwal) for several months to resign…finally he left last month (in November),” the person said. Another person said that Balachandar was nearing his retirement and did not want to extend his tenure with the firm. He had conveyed this to the top management and Aggarwal, the person said.
Ola did not respond to ET’s queries till the time of going press Thursday. Balachandar did not respond to text messages seeking comment.
Balachandar stepping down is yet another senior-level exit at the Ola group this year. In October, Ola Consumer chief business officer Siddharth Shakdher quit.
