BharatPe appoints 3 top executives in compliance and governance roles

Chief Financial Officer Nalin Negi has taken on the role of CEO, as the company still searches for a CEO after Suhail Sameer's departure

BharatPe has appointed three top executives in compliance and corporate governance roles, the fintech unicorn said on January 24. It has appointed Ambuj Bhalla as Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Rahul Bhatia as Head of Internal Audit, and Ravinder Oberoi as Head of Compliance.

However, BharatPe does not have a new CEO yet. Earlier this month, Suhail Sameer had stepped down as the company’s chief executive officer and the company commenced a search for an executive to take on the role. In the interim, Chief Financial Officer Nalin Negi has taken on the role of CEO.

The company said that while Bhalla has close to two decades of experience in technology with a strong focus on information security, data privacy and protection, Bhatia has 17 years of experience in the domain of governance, risk and compliance (GRC) in the financial services sector. Oberoi is an industry veteran with close to 23 years of experience in financial services, banking as well as insurance companies.

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Bhalla will be responsible for the implementation of robust IT security and cybersecurity frameworks for the BharatPe Group. Bhatia will work closely with the Audit Committee and will be responsible for setting up the governance and internal audit framework for the company. Oberoi will be responsible for setting up the compliance function and strengthening relationships with the regulatory bodies.

Prior to joining BharatPe, Bhalla was the Head of Cyber Security at InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. where he led the delivery of critical end-to-end security operations including company-wide network and system security, data protection, vulnerability management, identity and access management. Before that, he worked with Reserve Bank Information Technology (ReBIT), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank of India and was responsible for IT requirements and cyber security needs of the Reserve Bank and its regulated entities. He has also been associated with Bharti Airtel Limited.

Bhatia is a Chartered Accountant and an alumnus of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC). During his career, he has led the Financial Services - Risk Advisory Practice for PricewaterhouseCoopers (North) wherein he has managed Internal, Risk and Management Audits for Banks, NBFCs and Fintechs. Before joining BharatPe, he was heading the Risk and Compliance function for Tide, an SME-focused Financial platform. He has also worked with KPMG and Macquarie Bank.

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Prior to joining BharatPe, Oberoi was working with Aye Finance as Vice President and was responsible for managing the Audit, Compliance, Vigilance & Fraud Management functions. He has also worked with Religare, GE Capital India, ABN AMRO Bank & Max New York Life Insurance in various roles and capacities during his career.

BharatPe founder Shashvat Nakrani said, “As we focus on getting IPO ready, it becomes essential for us to ensure that data privacy, cyber security, corporate governance and compliance are given the highest priority.”