India-based Yatra announced that co-founder and outgoing CEO Dhruv Shringi has been appointed chairman of the board, and Siddhartha Gupta has been named CEO, effective November 25.
As chairman of the board, Shringi will work on guiding the online travel agency (OTA) and corporate travel platform toward “expansion, innovation and shareholder value creation.”
“With Siddhartha coming on board, we are bringing in the right leadership at the right time. His depth of experience in enterprise sales and SaaS aligns perfectly with Yatra’s B2B-first strategy,” said Shringi, who has held the CEO title since Yatra’s founding in 2006.
“Yatra has always been ahead of the curve in anticipating the needs of businesses, and with Siddhartha’s expertise, I am confident we will not only consolidate our leadership in India but also unlock new growth opportunities globally. I look forward to collaborating with Siddhartha and the team to further strengthen Yatra’s leadership in corporate travel and expand our footprint globally.”
Gupta previously held senior roles at SAP, HP and other SaaS ventures in India and overseas. He expressed excitement to join Yatra, noting that his focus will be on growth, enhancing technology and services and delivering value.
“Together, we will scale Yatra to new heights, strengthen our international presence and continue setting benchmarks in managed business travel,” he said.
Last September, Yatra acquired corporate travel specialist Globe All India Services (Globe Travels) for $15 million. Over the summer, the OTA also launched an artificial intelligence assistant, “DIYA,” to help travelers throughout booking.