Upgrad appoints former G20 sherpa Amitabh Kant as independent director

upgrad, led by Ronnie Screwvala, has added Amitabh Kant — India’s former G20 Sherpa — to its board as an independent non-executive director.

Kant’s appointment comes as the higher-education and upskilling company steps up its global expansion. It also aligns with Upgrad’s plan to possibly go public in the next 18 months.

In the past two years, the Mumbai-based company has grown its global presence. It now serves enterprise clients in the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the US, and has partnered with universities in the UK, Australia, Europe, and North America.

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The company said it has also invested in building multi-campus learning facilities, AI-powered learning systems, and personalised content.

“I’ve seen Upgrad’s online platform and physical centre, and their work is cutting-edge with strong young talent behind it. That’s why I chose to join. India now needs large-scale, rapid upskilling and collaboration with strong companies, and that’s exactly what Upgrad is doing,” Kant said.

Upgrad reported a positive EBITDA in FY25 and gross revenue of ₹1,943 crore, which came to ₹1,650 crore after Ind-AS accounting adjustments. The company expects strong profits in FY26, with revenue projected to be between ₹2,200 crore and ₹2,400 crore.

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“The whole sector cannot be sullied by one or two over-investments. You don't need that kind of money to make an impact in skilling and education. You just do not need the kind of money that got brought into one or three of those startups. Second, they were in the K-12 sector, not in higher education,” Screwvala said.

“If you put that $5 billion of capital into the private sector for skilling today, we would have another five million people with more skills. That's the tragedy of the situation, but we have to move on from that,” he added.

Screwvala is also focusing on investing in startups, with a planned $50 million fund to support frugal, customer-focused innovators in AI and other advanced technologies.

He has recently invested in AI-driven platforms such as SpeakX, Round1 by Grapevine, CuePilot AI, ZuAI, Activate AI, and TrueFan, and is reportedly working on a space-tech deal as well.

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