Chakrapani Gollapali named chief business officer, holidays, at Yatra.com

He will be responsible for strategic direction, operational execution and the overall business results for the holiday unit of Yatra.

Yatra.com, an online travel portal, has announced the appointment of Chakrapani Gollapali as chief business officer, holidays. A former Microsoft India executive, he will be responsible for strategic direction, operational execution and the overall business results for the holiday unit of Yatra.

Gollapali comes on board with over two decades of experience in technology, mobile and consumer businesses. In his last role, he served as the country general manager for Microsoft India, leading all of Microsoft's core consumer categories: Windows, Office, Windows Phone and Xbox across the retail, online, OEM and operator channels. He has also spent six years, from 2005 to 2011, with Nokia as general manager of the E-series smartphones business in India, and also in the global organisation that created the mobile payments business for Nokia and led GTM for emerging markets and India. Earlier in his career, in 1999-2000, he also founded and ran for three years an internet startup Office Infinity, in the consumables and supplies space and pioneered quite a few product and business model innovations.

Commenting on the appointment, Dhruv Shringi, co founder and CEO, Yatra, says, "We are thrilled to have Chakrapani join the leadership team and look forward to his vision in our continued strategic transformation to becoming a comprehensive service and product provider within the travel industry. He brings with him a legacy of outstanding experience in the technology and consumer businesses that will be key in formulating and driving our holiday business, which is a vital area for the company. We are certain that he will help pioneer a breakthrough product innovation in the holiday market, with a focus on superior customer experience."

Speaking about his appointment, Gollapali says, "The online travel industry has evolved rapidly over the last decade with the growth of internet, broadband and mobile penetration. I feel excited about the opportunity to create fundamental product differentiation by leveraging new internet business models, while also obsessing about delightful customer experiences at every stage of engagement." He adds, "I hope to inject a fresh perspective to the business and help dramatically build scale while making Yatra the most preferred brand choice for holiday travellers in India."

Based in Gurgaon, Yatra.com is a one-stop-shop for all travel-related services. A leading consolidator of travel products, Yatra.com claims to provide reservation facility for more than 40,000 hotels in India and over 400,000 hotels around the world. It also offers information, pricing, availability and booking facility for domestic and international air travel, hotel bookings, holiday packages and bus and railway reservations.