Ambarish Kenghe, vice president of Google Pay, is leaving the company after a six-year stint, marking the departure of a key leader for Google in India. Kenghe's next move is unclear, but in a LinkedIn post on January 13, he mentioned "embarking on a new adventure" without sharing specific details.
Kenghe joined Google in May 2018 as Director of Product Management of Google's payment unit Google Pay. He later became the vice president and general manager of Google Pay in India, Japan, Singapore, and the rest of the Asia Pacific region, including being responsible for the financial performance (P&L) of the business. "I'm incredibly proud of what we accomplished in the last six years, especially building Google Pay into India's most seamless and trusted payments platform. And, great successes in Japan, Singapore, and Rest of APAC as well" he said in the post.
"Witnessing first hand the power of technology to drive positive change has been truly life-changing. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to contribute to India's digital transformation with UPI, enabled by the Govt., RBI, NPCI, and many many others with Google Pay" he added.
Google Pay is currently the second-largest UPI payments app in the country, with a 37 percent market share as per the latest numbers by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The app has also forayed into consumer and merchant lending in recent years.
Kenghe, an alumnus of Berkeley and IIT Kanpur, was also on the investment committee of Google's $10 billion India Digitisation Fund, and was involved in shaping the company's strategy in the country. This was Kenghe's second stint at Google but his first with Google India. Previously, he worked at Google's Mountain View office, where he co-founded Chromecast, the tech giant's low-cost streaming stick.
"This experience has solidified my belief in the power of technology to transform lives and economies. While I'm moving on to a new opportunity, I'll continue to champion this cause" Kenghe said.
Apart from Google, Kenghe has also served as chief product officer of Flipkart-owned online fashion and lifestyle platform Myntra for nearly three years between 2015 to 2018. He's also had stints at Cisco and Bain & Company.
Google India also recently saw a change in its top management with Preeti Lobana appointed as its new country manager and vice president of its India operations in December 2024. She took over from Sanjay Gupta, who was promoted earlier this year as the company's president of the Asia Pacific region.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!