Ola Group’s CHRO N Balachandar Leaves Company

-He joined Ola in May 2021 as CHRO of Ola Electric.

-According to his LinkedIn profile, he recently founded Quickleap Management Consultants in November.

-N Balachandar’s departure is the latest in a series of high-profile exits at Ola Group. 

N Balachandar, Chief People Officer at Ola Group, recently departed the company in early November after nearly four years of service, according to YourStory.

He Joined Ola in May 2021. Initially appointed as Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) of Ola Electric as it prepared for its first electric scooter launch.

Thereafter, he was promoted to oversee the entire Ola Group, including its EV business (Ola Electric), ride-hailing service Ola Consumer, and AI startup Krutrim.

Balachandar played a key role in Ola’s IPO by staying through the IPO process and its successful market debut earlier this year.

Balachandar’s tenure spanned strategic transitions as the company expanded into electric vehicles and AI while navigating its market entry via public listing. His departure marks a significant leadership shift for the group.

N Balachandar has indicated to YourStory that he has essentially "retired" from his role at Ola Group.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he recently founded Quickleap Management Consultants in November. The consultancy focuses on:

• Assisting entrepreneurs and leadership teams scale their ventures.
• Providing support in fundraising, ideation, and execution activities.

N Balachandar’s departure is the latest in a series of high-profile exits at Ola Group. In October this year, Pramendra Tomar, secretary and compliance officer at Ola Electric, resigned.

In September, Sidharth Shakdher, chief business officer at Ola Consumer, departed after a nine-month tenure. Shakdher later joined Paytm as the head of a business unit.

This comes amid broader leadership shuffles across the Indian startup ecosystem, with notable exits including Zepto’s Dinesh Gomez (resigned as HR head) and BharatPe’s Smriti Handa (set to leave the company).

Additionally, Ola Electric is undergoing a significant restructuring exercise, impacting 450-500 employees as the company seeks to improve margins and achieve profitability. This move comes as the company reported a wider quarterly net loss of INR 495 Cr for the quarter ending September 30, 2024, up from INR 324 Cr in the previous quarter.