BYJU’S appoints Pradip Kanakia as Senior Advisor; Nitin Golani gets add’l role as CFO

BYJU’S has appointed Pradip Kanakia as the senior advisor. Nitin Golani, who is currently the President – Finance, will assume the additional responsibility of India Chief Finance Officer (CFO).

Incumbent CFO Ajay Goel will be returning to Vedanta Ltd and said, “I thank the founders and colleagues at BYJU’S for helping me assemble the FY22 audit in three months. I appreciate the support received during a short but impactful stint at BYJU’S”. He will transition after completing the formalities of the FY22 audit.

Pradip Kanakia brings vast experience from a prominent career of over 35 years and has held leadership positions at Price Waterhouse and KPMG. He has led audits for prestigious Indian and multinational companies with expertise in finance strategy, transformation, performance management, accounting, auditing, reporting, controls, compliance, and governance.

The new India CFO and President - Finance, Nitin Golani, was previously the Chief Strategy Officer at Aakash Education. He played a crucial role in Byju’s $1 billion acquisition of Aakash in 2021 and moved into an operating role at Aakash post-acquisition. Nitin, a chartered accountant, began his career at Grant Thornton Bharat and has held roles at MetLife and Accenture Strategy. Nitin will work closely with the board, founders and senior leadership on strategy development, capital planning, and financial analysis.

Founders Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath said, “Their experience, understanding and insights on business and finance will help us in our ongoing turnaround efforts”. They thanked Ajay Goel for his significant contributions during his tenure as CFO. “We sincerely appreciate Ajay’s efforts and accomplishments in a short period. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”

Nitin Golani said he would take up the new role alongside a dedicated team. “I am committed to ensuring that BYJU’S growth is robust and sustainable. My endeavour now is to maximise shareholder value by optimising financial performance,” he added.

Pradip Kanakia said, “I look forward to working with the Founders, Advisory Council and Nitin in navigating the transformation process at the company.”