Ola appoints Rakesh Bhardwaj as Group CIO

In this role, Rakesh will provide strategic direction to the group's IT initiatives covering information systems, tools, security, IT infrastructure and assets across Ola's global operations and businesses.

New Delhi: Ride-hailing major Ola on Wednesday announced the appointment of Rakesh Bhardwaj as Group Chief Information Officer (CIO).

In this role, Rakesh will provide strategic direction to the group’s IT initiatives covering information systems, tools, security, IT infrastructure and assets across Ola’s global operations and businesses.

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“I am pleased to welcome Rakesh to our leadership team,” Bhavish Aggarwal, Chairman and Group CEO, Ola, said in a statement.

“Rakesh’s expertise in building solid technology systems and processes across a diverse set of large organisations will be instrumental in building the technology backbone that will power this growth across our businesses,” Aggarwal added.

Rakesh brings nearly three decades of experience in building and managing cutting-edge global IT teams and systems for some of the largest enterprises in the world.

Before Ola, he held several leadership roles including being the Global CIO for Cognizant, CIO for GE Healthcare and earlier CIO for GE Aviation and Transportation.

Rakesh’s appointment comes close on the heels of several other recent leadership hires at Ola, including N Balachandar as Ola Electric CHRO and Wayne Burgess as Ola Electric’s Head of Design last week, as the group looks to rapidly build its global leadership team to drive the next phase of growth across all its business verticals globally.

The company is also gearing up to launch the first in its range of electric scooters in the coming months. Packed with advanced innovations, the much-anticipated Ola Scooter is a tech-driven electric vehicle with industry-leading range and speed.

The electric two-wheeler will be priced aggressively to make it accessible to all and will help accelerate India’s transition to sustainable, clean and electric mobility, the company said.