Ola names former IFS officer Gautam Bamabawale as senior advisor

In an attempt to strengthen its advisory board, Ride-hailing platform Ola on Wednesday named former envoy to China and Bhutan and retired bureaucrat, Gautam Bambawale as Senior Advisor for Corporate and International Affairs. He was also the Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan. Gautam also held a number of positions where he was directly involved with advancing India’s relations with Japan, China, and South Korea amongst other countries.

With his extensive experience in international relations, Gautam will play a key role in advising Ola on its Corporate Affairs initiatives across India and the global markets in which it operates, the company said in a statement.

Gautam Bambawale said, “Ola has driven transformational growth for India’s mobility ecosystem and created deep social and economic impact in its journey. As the company builds on its endeavour to build mobility, not just for India but for consumers globally, Ola’s philosophy of collaborating with local governments and communities will only help it build more relevant and sustainable solutions for users and drivers.”

He is the second senior retired IFS officer to join the corporate sector. External Affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar was hired as president for global corporate affairs of the Tata Group in April 2018.

Bhavish Aggarwal, Co-founder and CEO, Ola said, “I am very excited to welcome Gautam as a Senior Advisor to Ola. His experience in international relations and diplomacy from his three decades of service to the nation will play an invaluable role in Ola’s next phase of growth across global markets.”