OYO appoints Smriti Subramaniam as General Counsel

India's largest network of branded hotels OYO has announced appointment of Smriti Subramaniam as its General Counsel.

Smriti joins the Leadership team at OYO and will also lead the Diversity and Culture mandates at the start-up.

A seasoned attorney with over 15 years of experience, Smriti joins OYO from British Petroleum where she was the Legal Counsel for more than two years.

Smriti started her career at ITC where she served as Legal Manager, and then served as a senior associate at Economic Laws Practice until 2007 before joining BG Exploration and Production India - the local subsidiary of the UK gas major BG. She was also formerly a partner at Advaya Legal.

"We are thrilled to have Smriti on board with us. Her varied experience with teams in highly-structured environment as well as fast-paced, agile businesses will prove extremely valuable as we undergo transformation and process enhancement. Her Corporate law expertise will help us navigate and contribute to the nascent regulatory structure in the start-up ecosystem in India. I also look forward to her invaluable leadership in making OYO a more diverse and inclusive workplace," said Founder and CEO OYO, Ritesh Agarwal.

"I am very excited to join them at this inflection point in their journey. It provides me a brilliant opportunity to get involved with various aspects of corporate governance and also participate in shaping policy for the sector," said Smriti.

OYO is the pioneer of affordable, predictable accommodation in the Indian hospitality sector. It currently operates in more than 200 cities offering 70,000 rooms.

The company's vision is to become a global brand building efficiency in all forms of real estate. Having established its market leadership in India, OYO Rooms has also launched operations in Malaysia.