upGrad creates UK Board with four prominent figures in global education

Chandigarh: upGrad, India’s largest higher edtech company announced the appointment of a four-member independent board to build their UK-based operations and accelerate expansion. The board comprises distinguished leaders such as Professor Sir Deian Hopkin, Julie Mercer, Dr. Kishore Sengupta, and Ashwin Assomull.

Sir Deian is currently Principal Advisor at Wells Advisory and Associate Partner Anderson Quigley. Sir Deian was previously Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive at London South Bank University (2001-2009) and Expert Adviser, First Minister of Wales (2012-2020). Also on the board is Julie Mercer, who was Global Industry lead for Deloitte’s Education Practice over her 20 years there and is currently a partner at Cairneagle Associates. Another seasoned professional on the board is Dr. Kishore Sengupta, who has been associated with INSEAD and Naval Postgraduate School, California in the past and is now Reader in Operations at Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.  Rounding up this quad of illustrious leaders is Ashwin Assomull who is currently a partner at LEK Consulting, and a former Partner and Member of the Emerging Market’s Leadership Team at the Parthenon Group.

Phalgun Kompalli, Co-founder, upGrad commented, “We are excited to work with our board to help us achieve our global aspirations. The appointment of this board signals our commitment to moving aggressively ahead with our international expansion strategy.”

The edtech company aims to build a strong UK-based business operation to help expand in the region and undertake development plans in the global markets. The board comes with vast experience and myriad skillsets, well-equipped to attract, and build meaningful partnerships, understand the market and its ever-evolving requirements, and build credibility for the brand.  

"One clear consequence of the restrictions imposed by the pandemic has been to widen the search for new ways of delivering high quality higher education. upGrad is a highly successful innovator in the delivery of online learning. Building on its excellent track record of achievement, working in partnership with key universities and major technology enterprises, it is now poised to expand its provision globally and help to transform the future workplace," said Sir Hopkin.

Julie Mercer added, “I am excited to be working with upGrad to support their plan to bring their offer to the UK.  There has never been a better time to bring a digital-first, student-centered approach to higher education and upskilling and reskilling as we work to rebuild and reshape our economy. Working with university partners and experienced career coaches with a focus on employment outcomes, I believe that upGrad will play an important role in supporting students learn online in partnership with some of the best universities in the world.”

Appointment of the illustrious board members comes within a month of the onboarding of Zubin Gandevia as CEO, Asia-Pacific. In 2020, upGrad had also announced an appointment of Saranjit Sangar taking over as the CEO, UK & EMEA. By strengthening its leadership team, upGrad is all set to expand its penetration into the international markets.