Online furniture and home goods company Pepperfry has announced to onboard industry veteran Anand Batra as the new company Chief Financial Officer (CFO). According to the company, this will be Batra's second stint with the company, his first being a five-year stint during the early days of the firm's inception.
In his new role as CFO, Batra will spearhead the organisation's corporate strategy, fundraising efforts, financial operations, and legal and secretarial functions. His appointment is effective immediately and he will be based at the corporate office in Mumbai.
A seasoned finance professional, Batra has more than a decade of experience in venture capital, business management, financial planning and operations, fundraising, strategy, and investment banking.
Prior to joining Pepperfry, Batra worked as executive director at Z3 Partners, a tech and digital fund, where he was involved with the fund's investments in Dealshare, Shipsy, Gramophone, and Cyfirma.
Prior to joining that, he was a principal in the investing team at IvyCap Ventures, focusing on early-stage investments in Indian consumer and technology-enabled businesses.
“Before starting his career as an investor, Batra headed category management for the home goods business at Pepperfry. He has also headed the financial planning and strategy function at the firm, where he led fundraising efforts, apart from helping shape the company's omnichannel strategy and launching business categories,” Pepperfry said in a statement.
“Anand's contributions during our formative years were invaluable and had helped steer our business through several transformational changes. I am a fan of his wide world view and look forward to working with him to chart our future through India's rapidly evolving digital and retail landscape,” said Ambareesh Murty, co-founder, and CEO, of Pepperfry.
“Pepperfry is a differentiated brand in the eCommerce space and has undisputedly built a community-based platform defining home and living. In its decade-long journey, it has shown all the makings of a strong consumer brand,” Batra said.
