upGrad Appoints Shailesh Mahale And Kumar Anshu As HR Heads

upGrad appointmented of Shailesh Mahale (former Zepto) as corporate HR head and Kumar Anshu (former OLX Group) as head of human resource for Working Professional, Study Abroad and Offline segment. With this Vandana Kaushik Goel has been elevated as the head of human resources for upGrad’s enterprise arm.   

The company said that these three key India appointments will augment operational efficiency and wider employee engagement across the organisation. With a strong background in HR technology and operations, including successful implementations of systems like PeopleSoft, SAP Success Factors and Darwinbox, Shailesh helped build Zepto in its initial months.

Having also worked at other industry-leading brands like TCS, Dow Chemicals, and HDFC Life Insurance, Shailesh has been specifically appointed to drive Corporate HR transformation at upGrad. 

In his current role, he will lead the corporate HR functions encompassing operations and digitisations, employee experience, payroll and compliance, and HR Audits, leveraging his extensive expertise to propel organisational growth.   

With 15 years of diverse experience across Business HR, Consultancy, HR strategy and software engineering at Siemens, EY LLP, OLX and Wipro, Anshu bridges business and people needs effectively. In his prior role at EY, he project-managed and consulted GOI in the development of an e-learning organisation, demonstrating strong consulting abilities. He has also led large transformation and strategic initiatives as part of his earlier roles.   

Commenting on the road ahead, Saurabh Deep Singla, CHRO at upGrad noted, “These strategic hires are not just tasked with traditional HR functions but would be instrumental in shaping the future of skilling and workforce development. Their expertise coupled with a deep understanding of technology and business needs, positions upGrad as a front-runner within the skilling ecosystem while also having it redefine how organisations approach talent development in the digital age.”  

Shailesh Mahale will be based out upGrad’s HQ in Mumbai while both Kumar Anshu and Vandana Goyal will oversee operations from Delhi NCR.