upGrad Knowledgehut CEO steps down, company announces replacement

Edtech unicorn upGrad has appointed Asheesh Sharma as President, Short Courses and Bootcamps with effect from January 2. Previously the Academic Head for JEE and NEET at BYJU’S Tuition Centre, Sharma takes over from Subramanyam Reddy, Co-founder of skills solution company KnowledgeHut which was acquired by upGrad in 2021. 

In response to specific queries sent by YourStory, an upGrad spokesperson said, “Yes, we confirm that upGrad and its division Head, Subramanyam Reddy of erstwhile Knowledgehut have mutually decided to terminate the employment, effective December 5, 2023 with no notice period.  The foundation he's built will continue to thrive.”

The statement further added, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Asheesh Sharma - President, Short Courses and Bootcamps, effective 2nd January 2024. Asheesh, with a rich professional background in education spanning more than two decades, assumes a pivotal role at upGrad Knowledgehut. He will lead P&L growth, bring new program innovations to the fore, and expand its core offerings internationally.”

Edtech companies have seen major churn in top leadership, with BYJU’S losing key executives over the past year and leadership losses in upGrad. In July 2023, BYJU’S appointed former upGrad CEO Arjun Mohan as the CEO for International Business. 

upGrad has hired key leadership over 2023 including Ipshita Kajla as HR Head for upGrad Abroad, Avnish Datt as Chief Business Officer at upGrad Harappa, as well as Raj Dogra as Chief Information Officer and Rajiv H Singh as the Vice President for New Initiatives.

For FY23, upGrad reported a 96% jump in revenue on a year-on-year basis at Rs 1,194 crore and adjusted EBITDA loss of Rs 558 crore. upGrad subsidiaries, Campus and Harappa Education laid-off nearly a third of their employees during the course of 2023.