NEW DELHI: OLX Group has appointed former Star Sports president and chief executive Gautam Thakar as the global CEO of its pre-owned car marketplace OLX Autos. He will now oversee the company’s offline and online presence across Asia, Africa, Latin America and the United States.

Thakar, who will take up the role starting 15 March, will manage the global operations of OLX Autos based out of India, one among the fastest-growing large used car markets in the world, and will lead a workforce of over 4,000 employees across various geographies.

“It is definitely an advantage having Gautam based in India where he can stay close to the operations and customers in such a key market, while leveraging his global CEO experience to lead our businesses in timezones both east (Indonesia) and west (Americas),” said OLX Group CEO Martin Scheepbouwer.

Thakar said, “I am delighted with the opportunity and responsibility to lead the impressive global OLX Autos team. I’ve long watched the bold and ambitious approach taken by Naspers and Prosus as they’ve built great companies in so many exciting markets, including India. OLX Group's commitment to this business is unparalleled and I am inspired to join the team to build the world's most trusted platform for buying and selling cars.”  

OLX Autos is shaping the future of car trade by bringing peace-of-mind to car buyers and sellers in one of life’s biggest transactions, addressing a $100 billion car market opportunity in countries where it operates. OLX Autos runs online digital trading platforms in addition to more than 500 inspection centres across the Americas, Asia and Africa, each year inspecting 300,000 vehicles and enabling 130,000 vehicle transactions.

Prior to his stint at Start Sports, Thakar had over a decade of experience managing e-commerce businesses. He has lived and worked in India, Philippines and the US and managed country teams across 15+ markets throughout his career.