Ola brings former Indian ambassador to Bhutan and China onboard

• Ola appointed Gautam Bambawale as its senior advisor for corporate and international affairs.
• Bambawale has earlier served as the Indian Ambassador to Bhutan and China as well as the High Commissioner of India to Pakistan between 2016 and 2017.
• Bambawale’s appointment at Ola comes at a time when the ride hailing unicorn has been expanding rapidly across geographies.

Indian ride hailing unicorn Ola has just appointed Gautam Bambawale as its senior advisor for corporate and international affairs. Bambawale has earlier served as Indian ambassador to Bhutan and China. He was also the High Commissioner of India to Pakistan between 2016 and 2017.

He was India’s first Consul General in Guangzhou (China between 2007–2009; and served as the Joint Secretary for East Asia at the Ministry of Economic Affairs between 2009–2014.

“Ola has driven transformational growth for India’s mobility ecosystem and created deep social and economic impact in its journey of just under a decade. As the company builds on its endeavour to build mobility, not just for India but for consumers globally, Ola’s philosophy of collaborating with local governments and communities will only help it build more relevant and sustainable solutions for users and drivers,” said Bambawale.

At Ola, Bambawale will look after the corporate affairs of the company in India and abroad.

Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder and CEO, Ola said, “His experience in international relations and diplomacy from his three decades of service to the nation will play an invaluable role in Ola’s next phase of growth across global markets.”

Bambawale’s appointment at Ola comes at a time when the ride hailing unicorn has been expanding rapidly across geographies. It started expanding globally two years ago. Since then, it has steadily grew to cover over 60 cities and towns across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK.

Ola had also recently launched in London. It already offers cab services in Birmingham, Liverpool, Exeter, Reading, Bristol, Bath, Coventry, and Warwick in the UK.

In the last one year, Ola has made several new appointments to its board. It brought Rajeev Bakshi , a top FMCG executive who worked with Pepsi and Cadbury. One of its many appointees also includes the former president of Hyundai India and a general manager at Tata Motors B V R Subbu.

Sources had told Business Insider that Ola is restructuring its organization as it heads for an IPO within 24 months. A strong board with those with extensive bureaucratic and business experience will convey its intent to maintain high standards of corporate governance.

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