C.P. Gurnani, the former managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Tech Mahindra, has joined the board of edtech company upGrad.

Gurnani will don the role of independent non-executive director and help the upskilling platform increase its domestic and global operations.

Additionally, he will focus on working with the leadership teams to transform the company into a highly export-oriented one, tapping into opportunities in B2B and B2C markets, upGrad said.

Founded in 2015 by Ronnie Screwvala, Mayank Kumar and Phalgun Kompalli, upGrad offers higher education courses and skilling programmes in collaboration with colleges and universities.

“As an independent director, I will prioritise the global expansion of the company, leveraging its strong credentials. My focus is to work with the leadership teams to transform upGrad into a highly export-oriented product, tapping into opportunities in B2B and B2C markets.

“I intend to work with the board and mentor the management to set audacious goals that align with positioning upGrad as the global smart content factory,” Gurnani said.

“At upGrad we have laid a strong and long-term goal of being a lifelong learning partner as we power career success for the global workforce. I’m confident that Gurnani’s profound leadership and ability to pre-empt market trends would further enhance our framework and underpin the integrity and efficiency of our business model.”