Deepak Mehrotra Stepping Down as CEO of Aakash Educational Services Mehrotra was brought in to lead Aakash through its "Aakash 2.0" strategy, aimed at transforming the business model, consolidating roles, and aggressively hiring talent.
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Deepak Mehrotra, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Aakash Educational Services Limited, is resigning from his position, according to media platform Entrackr. His departure comes 16 months after he assumed the role in April 2024. Sources indicate that Mehrotra has already submitted his resignation and is currently serving his notice period.
While he has not issued an official statement, Mehrotra reflected on his tenure in a recent LinkedIn post. "Each of the last 481 days of the rebuild journey has extracted every ounce of my energy every day but has been gratifying," he wrote. "I traveled extensively, meeting employees from almost 70 branches to understand their aspirations and build trust. We have focused on reinforcing belief and confidence in leadership, crafting new business models, and accelerating technology adoption."
Mehrotra was brought in to lead Aakash through its "Aakash 2.0" strategy, aimed at transforming the business model, consolidating roles, and aggressively hiring talent. However, the period also saw significant challenges. In September, the company laid off between 80 and 100 employees, marking the first major round of job cuts since Byju's acquired Aakash for nearly USD 1 billion in 2021.
The leadership change comes amid continued tensions within AESL. The founding Chaudhry family has resisted full integration with Byju's, and in March last year both companies withdrew their merger petition to operate independently. Aakash has yet to release its annual reports for FY24 and FY25.