Suparna Mitra to take over as MD and CEO of TeamLease as founders step back from executive roles

Teamlease Services

TeamLease Services on December 4 announced the appointment of Suparna Mitra as the managing director and chief executive officer of the staffing firm.

Mitra, who comes from Titan Company, will take over on February 2, marking the first top-level change in more than two decades at TeamLease, as co-founders Ashok Reddy and Manish Sabharwal leave executive positions.

The board approved Mitra’s appointment as part of a long-term succession and governance plan, the company said in a release.

Reddy, the current MD and CEO, will transition to the role of executive vice chairman and work with Mitra on strategy, horizontal projects and new business adjacencies.

Sabharwal will exit all executive responsibilities and continue on the board as a non-executive non-independent director.

Chairman Narayan Ramachandran will continue in his existing role.

Reddy said the shift was the logical next step for the founders after building TeamLease for more than 25 years.

"The next orbit for Teamlease – higher margins, faster growth and institutionalisation – will benefit from leadership instincts that are fresh and different from ours," Reddy was quoted as saying in the release.

Mitra joins from Titan Company where she led the watches and wearables division and doubled its revenue to Rs 4,500 crore in three years.

An alumna of IIM-Calcutta and Jadavpur University, she has held leadership roles across consumer, retail and technology-led businesses.

She also serves on the boards of Swiggy and IIM-Kozhikode.

Mitra said she was honoured to join TeamLease at a pivotal moment for India’s employment landscape.

"I look forward to working with the board and the leadership team to unlock the next phase of growth, digital innovation and social impact,” Mitra was quoted as saying.

Ramachandran said Mitra is a proven transformation leader with a strong record of scaling large consumer and technology-driven businesses.

TeamLease has grown to revenues of over Rs 11,000 crore, expanded to more than 800 locations, and built new verticals, including specialised staffing, HRTech, Regulation Tech, and Education Tech.

Founded more than two decades ago, TeamLease has hired more than 24 lakh people and provides staffing, skilling, and e-workforce solutions to over 4,000 employers across India.