Aakash Educational Services (AESL), the provider of test preparation services in India for engineering and medical entrance examinations, has announced the appointments of Alka Garg as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Kanika Kumar Nijhawan as Senior Vice President – Marketing, to support the company’s ongoing commitment to strengthening and professionalising its management in order to achieve accelerated growth and business excellence.
Garg has over twenty two years of strategic and operational experience across listed enterprises and high-growth startups, partnering with Founders, CEOs, and executive teams to drive enterprise value creation, scale profitably, and deliver sustainable growth. She will lead AESL’s finance function, spearhead financial strategies, improve efficiency, build a robust governance structure, and assist AESL in achieving its projected future growth.
Before joining AESL, she served as the Chief Financial Officer – Yum Restaurant India where she had a major impact on developing financial strategy for the KFC brand and improving overall business performance. She has also worked in senior leadership positions across multiple industries including Siemens, GreyOrange, Bharti Airtel, and Deloitte. Ms. Garg’s extensive experience combined with her financial acumen positions her to deliver tremendous value for AESL’s strategic priorities.
Nijhawan comes to AESL with over 17 years of experience in the media, retail, and sports industries, with extensive knowledge of brand development, strategic marketing, digital/performance marketing, and omnichannel engagement. Her last role prior to joining AESL was with Adidas India for a decade as the Director of Brand Marketing. Kanika has previously worked for HT Media and Sony Entertainment as well.
AESL will continue to expand its reach within the country, demonstrate excellence in academic quality, and use operational efficiency to help ensure students throughout the country will receive the support they need to succeed.
Commenting on the new appointments of Garg and Nijhawan, Chandra Sekhar Garisa Reddy, Managing Director & CEO, Aakash Educational Services stated, “We are thrilled to have both Alka and Kanika join the Aakash team. With Alka’s outstanding financial acumen and Kanika’s brand development skills, I am confident they will both be key agents in progressing our organisation while at the same time enhancing our commitment to providing high-quality education to all students in India.”
Garg said in response to her appointment: “I could not be more excited to join Aakash Educational Services at this exciting time in the company’s journey. I look forward to partnering with the leadership team to continue to strengthen financial discipline, support sustainable growth, and provide long-term value to all stakeholders because AESL is well-known throughout the exam preparation industry.”
Nijhawan said, “I am very happy to be joining Aakash during this incredibly significant time of opportunity and potential and I look forward to forming a unique and powerful brand narrative, creating meaningful experiences for our students and parents, assisting in driving the youngest and fastest growing preparation segment in terms of exam preparation and continuing the company’s growth and leadership in the exam preparation industry.”
