Hires & Promotions: Paytm Insider, Hiveminds, Lava International

Paytm Insider elevates Varun Khare to COO

Paytm Insider has elevated Varun Khare as the Chief Operating Officer (COO). In his new role, Khare will lead the company's operational strategies, driving growth and innovation across all facets of the business.

Having been with the organisation for four years, Khare as the business head showcased leadership, strategic vision, and a deep understanding of the evolving needs of the customers and partners. Under his management, Paytm Insider witnessed over 100 per cent growth in GMV each year over the last two years whilst quadrupling the revenue in the last two years.

Khare was also instrumental in making significant inroads into Tier II and III markets by collaborating with artists, organisers, and promoters to enhance live event experiences.

Before joining Paytm Insider, Khare worked with Fountainhead MKTG and eventually Oranjuice Entertainment. 

Talking about his new position, Khare shares, “When I moved to Paytm Insider, the intention was to scale up and work with a brand whose value system and culture resonated with mine. Working with a team of ~150 exceptionally talented individuals and earning their respect has been one of the most gratifying and significant achievements of my career. We have successfully expanded to over 170 cities having reached a diverse customer base across genres making my journey both challenging and rewarding.”

He further adds, “I am grateful to all the passionate people who have been a part of my journey. I am looking forward to this new phase. We’ve only just gotten started and have put ourselves in a great position to make live entertainment the preferred choice of entertainment across the country.”

Talking about Varun’s promotion Shreyas Srinivasan, Founder and CEO of Paytm Insider, expresses, “Paytm Insider was founded with the vision of making events a preferred choice for entertainment in India. Over the last 5 years, we have built a full-fledged platform which supports organisers with a range of services which span Ticketing, Sponsorship, Artist Booking, Marketing and more. Varun has been instrumental in this build-out, his vast experience across all aspects of organising an event has allowed us to build a platform which will champion events and organisers across this country. I am super confident that this team has the right mix to make Insider the dominant events platform in India.”
 

HiveMinds appoints Pradeep Saluja as COO

HiveMinds, part of the Madison Group, has named Pradeep Saluja as the Chief Operating Officer. Saluja is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience leading business strategy, operations management and consulting across multiple industries. As the COO, he will oversee the P&L and growth of the business and be responsible for the organisation's overall operations.

Saluja has held senior positions in several leading firms, from one of the founding members of the India business at Encore Capital Group to leading firms where he has delivered sustainable growth for clients worldwide. Before joining HiveMinds, he served as vice president at Sprinklr, where he successfully led customer success for key accounts globally. Before this, Saluja was with Mu-Sigma, managing the P&L of a business unit with a portfolio of Fortune 500 companies.

On this news, Saluja shares, “HiveMinds has established itself as a leading player in the Digital Marketing space. The leadership’s unwavering focus on delivering value to clients and fostering an employee-centric culture echoed well with my values. I am excited to join HiveMinds and look forward to working closely with our highly energetic and capable teams to deliver sustainable growth and impact to our clients.”

Jyothirmayee JT, CEO and Founder of HiveMinds comments, “We are delighted to welcome Pradeep to HiveMinds. His extensive experience and proven leadership, especially in digital transformation and operations, align perfectly with our vision for the future as we expand and evolve in the digital marketing landscape. His appointment marks a significant milestone in our journey, and I eagerly anticipate the innovative solutions and lasting partnerships that will undoubtedly flourish under his leadership.”
 

Lava International appoints Rajesh Sethi as Group CFO

Lava International has onboarded Rajesh Sethi as the new Group CFO. In his new role, he will be responsible for overseeing Lava’s financial operations, enhancing financial systems and processes and steering the company’s fiscal strategies to support its growth plans.

Sethi has previously worked with the company between 2010-2014 as the CFO.

This comes after a week of the company restructuring its Board of Directors.

Sethi’s appointment is in line with Lava’s vision to strengthen its leadership team for building a global Indian technology enterprise, rooted in a culture of corporate transparency, governance and innovation.

Speaking on his appointment, Sunil Raina, Executive Director, Lava International asserts, “His expertise and a wealth of experience in driving financial success will be instrumental in accelerating Lava’s future growth. We look forward to his contributions and leadership in our endeavour to build a global Indian enterprise.”

Sethi adds, “The mobile and electronics industry is on a high growth trajectory and Lava has a great potential to tap into the opportunities with superior quality Made in India products. My strategy will be to strengthen financial resilience, and corporate governance and generate capital for the ambitious growth plans of the company.