In line with our continuous efforts to drive organizational goals and work toward an inspiring future for the region, we are pleased to announce three new leadership appointments for our operations in South East Asia and the Middle East effective October 15, 2020. These promotions and appointments are a further testament to our commitment to SEA ME and its strategic direction to grow and extend its competitive advantage in the region.

Guruprasad Sankarnarayanan (Guru), Country Head for OYO Thailand will now be the Chief Operating Officer for the region. As the COO, Guru will anchor all the central business functions: Revenue and all channels, Supply, Transformation, Operations and Strategic Partnerships. An MBA from Kellogg School of Management, Guru, has worked at ZS Associates and McKinsey & Co before joining OYO India & South Asia team as the Operations Leader, two years ago. In September 2019, he moved to Bangkok to assume the role of Country Head and lead the business in Thailand. Since then, he has played a key role for us as the Country Head for Thailand. In this role, he has grown the portfolio of hotels in the kingdom while ensuring overall supply strategy met profitability guardrails.

Dushyant Dwibedy, the Country Head for OYO Vietnam will now take charge of both Thailand & Vietnam as the Country Head. An MBA from London Business School, Dushyant has worked at Freethinker Labs and Lazada before joining OYO in 2018. Dushyant helped launch OYO in Vietnam and Thailand. In his role as the Country Head for Vietnam, he has led the company’s growth in the country and is now actively working on multiple initiatives to streamline operations.

Pratyush Kumar will now be the Regional Head for Strategy & Communications for Japan SEA and ME. An MBA from ISB, Pratyush has worked at companies like McKinsey and Bajaj Auto before joining us. In his current role, he has been instrumental in delivering multiple key priorities like plans to manage the COVID-19 crisis and anchoring projects around profitability.

Commenting on this, Dr Mandar Vaidya, CEO, South East Asia, Middle East and Japan said, “Over the past 6 months, one of the factors that has allowed OYO to face the challenges COVID has thrown its way is the quality of leaders and leadership in SEA ME.”

He adds, “These roles are strategically important to growing our customer base and developing our commercial strategies by improving our operational efficiency, focussing on customer experience, and strengthening our technology platforms to deliver best experiences across customer and partner touchpoints to progress our business in SEA ME”.

“Guru, Dushyant and Pratyush are all experienced members of the leadership team in SEA ME with strong expertise in their respective areas and proven leadership abilities. Each brings deep and diverse experiences from different industries and businesses, and I am confident that they will continue to drive OYO’s future growth and strengthen our presence, agility, and focus in SEA ME”, concludes Dr. Mandar.

SEA and the Middle East are strategic growth markets for the company. In Southeast Asia, we have grown from being a predominantly single country operation to launching in multiple geographies including Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines as well as small operations in Thailand and Vietnam. In the Middle East, we are present in UAE, KSA, Oman and Bahrain.

We are committed to strengthen its footprint in SEA and the Middle East with a diverse portfolio of products that will advance its position as the clear market leader in the region and provide a great technology-driven hospitality experience through quality affordable accommodation for travellers and tourists.

We congratulate Guru, Dushyant and Pratyush and wish them all the best in their new roles!