Flipkart names Jeyandran Venugopal as chief product and technology officer

Walmart-owned Flipkart on Tuesday said it is elevating Jeyandran Venugopal as chief product and technology officer (CPTO).

He will provide strategic leadership to the organisation and define the technology vision for the company with specific focus on building future capabilities across product and engineering, Flipkart said in a statement.

Venugopal, who has previously served as the Chief Technology Officer at Flipkart Group firm Myntra, will facilitate prioritisation of technology investments and drive continued agility in decision-making while working closely with tech and business leaders across the organisation, it added.

"We are strengthening our technology capabilities every day and Jey will play an anchor along with the most talented team that we have. In his new role, he will continue to strengthen the team, tech investments and help implement new technologies at the pace and the scale that will enable us to become an even more agile, future-ready organisation..." Flipkart group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said.

Venugopal has been with the Flipkart Group for over two years and has previously served as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Myntra, before moving to Flipkart in January this year.

He has held leadership roles in the consumer internet product/tech industry in the US and India. His responsibilities included leading the development of core e-commerce systems, fashion tech for Myntra and Jabong, platforms and digital media technologies for Amazon and Yahoo and heading an entrepreneurial venture in digital healthcare.

In a separate statement, Flipkart said it will offer original video content on its platform with the launch of 'Flipkart Video Originals'.

"Integrated within the Flipkart Video platform, which was launched in August this year, Flipkart Video Originals will be produced by some of the best creators in the industry and curated especially for the Flipkart platform," the statement said.

The first creator to join the platform is Academy Award winner Guneet Monga, who is on board as the official creator and curator of short stories for the platform. In the months to come, Flipkart will work with names like Studio Next, Frames and Sikhya Productions to bring forth first-of-its-kind content across genres and languages.

"There is an existing gap that needs to be filled and at Flipkart, we saw an opportunity to create great video content which is easier for people to consume, that is mobile-first. From short stories created by award-winning producers, to entertainment shows featuring the leading talent from Bollywood, we believe that our platform will have something special for every consumer," Prakash Sikaria, Vice President - Growth and Monetisation at Flipkart, said.

Sikaria said Flipkart envisages its original content to resonate strongly with people across the country, as it ushers in a new era of mobile-first video content.