Edtech major Byju's elevates Jiny Thattil to CTO as Anil Goel moves on

Think & Learn, the parent entity of Byju’s, on Monday elevated Jiny Thattil as the new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the edtech major even as the company is mired in myriad challenges.

Thattil will replace Anil Goel who is leaving the company after three years as the CTO.

Thattil, who has been serving as senior vice president of engineering at Byju’s, brings extensive experience in building and scaling engineering teams. He has also been delivering business and customer outcomes, and driving innovation across multiple product lines and platforms, the company said.

“We are delighted to promote Jiny Thattil as the CTO of Byju’s,” said Arjun Mohan, the India CEO of Byju’s.

“His extensive experience and leadership skills make him the ideal candidate for this crucial role as we continue to rebuild for greater efficiency and sustainability. We would also like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Anil Goel, the outgoing CTO, for his exemplary work and dedication to driving technological innovation at Byju’s,” Mohan said.

This transition is part of the company’s ongoing strategic restructuring and reorientation of its leadership team to further enhance operational efficiency.

Thattil, with a career spanning over 25 years in the software industry, has a deep understanding of diverse domains. These include e-commerce, advertising, analytics, payments, online banking, personal finance, business intelligence, healthcare, and transportation.

He successfully delivered large-scale enterprise and consumer products for global markets, covering North America, Europe, West Asia, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific region. He has also contributed to the post-acquisition integration of various subsidiaries of Byju’s. In previous roles, he has worked with marquee companies like Happay, Amazon, InMobi and GE Healthcare.

Goel is among several senior executives who have left the firm at a time when it is facing a multitude of challenges, including securing fresh capital, delays in financial reporting and legal disputes with lenders.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently also issued a show cause notice of ~9,362 crore to Think & Learn and its founder Byju Raveendran for alleged violations of forex rules while attracting foreign investments from 2011 to 2023.

Byju’s has decided to lay off around 4,000 employees or over 11 per cent of its total workforce over the next few weeks as part of a restructuring exercise, according to the sources.

The restructuring exercise is being undertaken by Arjun Mohan, who was recently elevated as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its India business, replacing Mrinal Mohit.

Three senior executives resigned earlier, it was reported in August. They were Prathyusha Agarwal, the chief business officer of Byju's; Himanshu Bajaj, business head of tuition centres, and Mukut Deepak, the business head for Class 4 to 10.

Cherian Thomas, Byju's senior vice president for international business, also quit recently to join US-based Impending Inc as the CEO.