Online classifieds marketplace OLX Group on Monday said it has appointed Gautam Thakar as global CEO of OLX Autos with effect from March 15, 2021. Thakar, who was the CEO of Star Sports in India which was acquired by the Walt Disney Company, will lead a worldwide organisation with a workforce of more than 4,000 employees across Asia, Africa, Latam, and the US, OLX Group said in a statement.
OLX Autos runs online digital trading platforms in addition to more than 500 inspection centres across the Americas, Asia and Africa, each year inspecting 300,000 vehicles and enabling 130,000 vehicle transactions, it added. Commenting on the appointment, OLX Group CEO Martin Scheepbouwer said Thakar brings a unique set of capabilities, including general management track record, strong customer orientation, deep marketplace experience, and a rich experience leading and inspiring teams on a global footprint.
"We will all benefit from his wealth of knowledge and experience as we bring convenience and trust to the way people buy and sell cars," Scheepbouwer added. He will remain based in India in his new global role, the statement added. Thakar, who was in the US for over a decade, was also former global CEO of Shopping.com and LivingSocial which was acquired by Groupon. He was a part of the founding management team of baazee.com which pioneered ecommerce in India before being acquired by eBay in 2005. In the early days of his career he was a brand manager at P&G in Asia, the company said.
