School edtech unicorn LEAD promotes senior leadership

School Edtech unicorn LEAD on October 11 said that it has elevated Anupam Gurani, its chief marketing officer to the position of chief business and marketing officer. The company has also promoted Manoj Naik to chief finance and operations officer, from his position as the chief finance officer.

The edtech unicorn in a statement said Gurani, in his new role, will also drive customer success and revenue generation at LEAD. Similarly, in his expanded mandate, Naik will lead supply chain and procurement functions, in addition to leading financial operations at the firm.

Founded by Sumeet Mehta and Smita Deorah in 2012, the company started by running affordable schools and teaching middle-school students. LEAD now works on making classroom learning technology-enabled. This involves tracking teacher and student progress, managing school operations on the cloud, and providing digital resources to make learning more engaging.

“Anupam and Manoj are leading our mission of bringing excellent education to every child. With their deep expertise and experience, I am sure they'll continue to contribute to leading in their elevated roles,” said Mehta, who is also the chief executive officer of LEAD.

Gurani is a sales, marketing, and strategy professional, who has earlier led teams in organisations such as Disney+ Hotstar, Vodafone, Google, and Reckitt, across India and Southeast Asia.

Naik on the other hand has over 30 years of experience leading finance, commercial, and technology operations in companies such as GE Capital, ManipalCigna Health Insurance, and Fullerton Securities, among others.

In January, LEAD raised $100 million at a valuation of $1.1 billion, catapulting it to the coveted unicorn club of internet startups. LEAD raised the money from existing investors WestBridge Capital and GSV Ventures.

Earlier in April 2021, the company had raised $30 million from investors. LEAD is India's sixth edtech unicorn after Byju's, Vedantu, Unacademy, Eruditus, and UpGrad.

Also Read: School edtech unicorn LEAD lets go of about 100 employees

In the statement, LEAD said it aims to reach 60,000 schools and 25 million students by 2026. Currently, it works with over 3,500 schools across India, reaching over 1.4 million students.