upGrad Ropes In Former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant as Independent Director

Ronnie Screwvala-led upGrad has appointed former G20 Sherpa of India and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant as an independent non-executive director on its board. The edtech platform, in an official statement, said Kant’s global experience will support upGrad’s international expansion plans.

The Mumbai-based company has expanded its footprint across countries, including the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the US in the past two years. In addition, it is also collaborating with universities across the UK, Australia, Europe, and North America.

“Amitabh has spent his career shaping some of India’s biggest transformational missions, and that perspective is invaluable as we deepen our global footprint and widen our impact,” said Screwvala, as quoted by Inc42.

During his career in government, Kant played key roles in flagship national initiatives, including Make in India, Startup India, Incredible India and the Delhi–Mumbai Industrial Corridor.

He also led India’s G20 negotiations as the country’s Sherpa, following his stint as CEO of NITI Aayog, where he oversaw efforts in digital transformation, sustainability, startup development and public–private collaboration.

Speaking about his appointment, Kant believes that India needs new-age skilling, given the country’s demographic advantage.

“We need two things; how to upskill our people quickly and how to collaborate with good companies – both of which upGrad is doing very well. They are increasing their association with private and public universities, as well as companies, to create a complete pipeline of talent for job readiness and entrepreneurship,” he added.

The company has expanded aggressively overseas in the past two years, working with enterprise clients across the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia and the US, while also collaborating with universities in the UK, Europe, Australia and North America.

In the higher-education and upskilling market, it goes up against players such as Eruditus, Great Learning and Simplilearn.

upGrad’s most recent fundraise was a $60 million round in 2024, led by Temasek, which kept its valuation steady at $2.25 billion, up from $1.2 billion in 2021.