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Ajay Shekhar Sharma has been promoted from the senior vice president position to CBO

Ajay, an integral part of Paytm since 2006, has been allotted a total of 13,463 equity shares to date

With the promotion, Ajay Sharma moves to be a part of Paytm’s key managerial team

IPO-bound Paytm has promoted Ajay Shekhar Sharma — brother of its Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma — as its chief business officer (CBO). Prior to this, Ajay was the acting senior vice president of the fintech startup. 

The elevation of Ajay Shekhar Sharma was announced on his LinkedIn profile.

Ajay, who started as manager for sales in Paytm in 2006, has been allotted a total of 13,463 equity shares to date, according to the DRHP filings accessed by Inc42. Till now, Ajay wasn’t a part of the company’s key managerial team officially and with the elevation, he now becomes a part of the top decision-making team.

Founded in 2009 by Vijay Sharma, One97 Communications, the parent company of Paytm, filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for public listing earlier this year. With the IPO, the unicorn aims to raise INR 16,600 Cr. It’s offer comprises a fresh issue of INR 8,300 Cr and an offer for sale (OFS) worth INR 8,300 Cr.

It has diversified its business into various fintech segments, including Paytm Payments Bank, Paytm General Insurance, Paytm Life Insurance, Paytm Money, Paytm E-Commerce, Paytm Entertainment, among other smaller entities.

According to a story done earlier by Inc42 (based on an analyst report), the company may break even in the coming 12-18 months. The hiring and the internal promotions can be equated as its strategy to create value through building multiple businesses around the core Paytm.

Besides, the startup recently also saw a mark up in its IPO valuation by T Rowe by over 16%. The valuation comes at a time when Paytm saw its overall revenue drop to 9.9% from INR 3,540.77 in FY20 to INR 3,186.8 in FY21 on a consolidated basis.