Flipkart appoints former Swiggy executive Anuj Rathi as Cleartrip CEO: Report

Anuj Rathi, an IIT Kanpur alumnus with over 18 years of industry experience, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cleartrip, Flipkart’s travel platform, Moneycontrol reported.

This marks Rathi's second stint with the Walmart-owned e-commerce giant. Previously, he worked at Flipkart between 2010 and 2012 as a Product Manager.

After his tenure at Flipkart, Rathi built a diverse portfolio, working at Snapdeal and Swiggy and, most recently, as the Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Jupiter, a fintech firm. Rathi spent over seven years at Swiggy, where he held the position of Senior Vice President of Revenue and Growth.

Ayyappan R's departure 

Rathi's appointment follows the departure of Cleartrip's former CEO, Ayyappan R, who spent over 11 years at the Bengaluru-based company.

Ayyappan R announced his departure on LinkedIn on February 22, after being appointed as CEO in October 2021. His exit, alongside that of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Aditya Agarwal, left a significant leadership gap at Cleartrip.

Ayyappan R had a notable tenure at Flipkart and its fashion vertical, Myntra, making his departure a significant transition for the company.

What changes are happening at Flipkart?

Flipkart is currently undergoing a substantial restructuring, which includes several top-level executive changes. Alongside Rathi’s appointment, the company has seen the exit of multiple senior executives.

Prabh Simran Singh, Senior Vice President of Customer Growth and Retention, Marketing and Ads, and Sankalp Mehrotra, Vice President of Monetisation, are both serving their notice periods.

Singh joined Flipkart in August 2022 after serving as the CEO of a digital twin technology startup and as Executive Vice President at Hotstar. Mehrotra, who has been with Flipkart since 2016, previously worked as Executive Director at Affle, a mobile advertising firm based in Singapore.

Preparing for the IPO launch

These executive movements are part of Flipkart’s broader strategy as it prepares for an initial public offering (IPO).

"We’re looking and exploring when would be the right time to IPO that business. There’s strong growth in Flipkart and in PhonePe and we’re excited about the India market," a Walmart executive told analysts.

The restructuring aims to streamline operations and enhance profitability as the company faces challenges from emerging quick commerce firms and aims to shift its domicile from Singapore to India in preparation for the IPO.