’s independent director
Arvind Gupta has stepped down from the post, becoming the latest top-level executive to depart the government-backed e-commerce network.The departure of Gupta last month follows the exits of senior executives like managing director and chief executive Thampy Koshy; non-executive chairperson RS Sharma, and chief business officer Shireesh Joshi.
ONDC is governed by a board of directors and an advisory council. The board includes founding members, shareholders, government nominees and independent directors.
"I was a founding member of ONDC and the first independent director. I completed my three-year term as an independent director and decided not to continue further," Gupta, who is head and co-founder of
Digital India Foundation, told ET.
On whether there is any possibility of him returning, he said, "Board directors rotate when their terms get completed."
In response to ET’s query, ONDC said, "Arvind Gupta, a key founding member of ONDC, has played an instrumental role in shaping ONDC and guiding its early growth. After completing a full three-year term of impactful guidance as an independent director, he has decided not to continue in his role as independent director. Gupta remains a strong advocate of ONDC’s mission and will continue to extend his support to the network."
Gupta's departure leaves ONDC with three independent directors--Adil Zainulbhai, chairperson of Capacity Building Commission; Anjali Bansal, founder and chairperson of Avaana Capital; and Ritesh Tiwari, executive director of finance & IT and chief financial officer of
Hindustan Unilever Limited.In April, the network had recorded 4.34 million retail orders, which came down by 6.2% to 4.07 million in May. Similarly, orders for on-network logistics saw a decline to 2.32 million in May from 2.41 million in April.
