MAM
Paytm appoints two ex-Google executives to build its advertising and cloud offerings for Indian businesses
MUMBAI: Digital payments leader Paytm, the brand owned by One97 Communications has today announced the expansion of its leadership team with two former Google executives, Praveen Sharma, and Ankit Sinha. Praveen Sharma has been appointed as Senior Vice President, Ad Business and will be responsible for leading the group's foray into advertising across Paytm businesses. Ankit Sinha has joined as Vice President, Paytm AI Cloud and will be responsible for productization of the best of Paytm's technology stack. Both of them will report directly to Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma.
Vijay Shekhar Sharma, founder & CEO of Paytm said, “Over the years, Paytm has built a large consumer and merchant base. Focusing on monetization opportunities, we will have Praveen and Ankit build our advertising and cloud offerings for Indian businesses. Praveen has built the most formidable adverting business and Ankit comes with an understanding of SMB needs.”
Praveen Sharma comes from Google where he spent the last 9 years in leadership roles across India and APAC. Most recently he was based in Singapore responsible for driving Google's performance media across the Asia Pacific region. This was preceded by his stint in India where he led Google India's YouTube and Display sales organization. Leading up to Google, Praveen held several senior-level positions across some of the major advertising groups like Madison and Group M.
“Paytm is arguably the most diverse consumer tech company in India with interest ranging from payments, commerce, financial services, ticketing, flights, gaming, etc. With a user base of 350 million and a massive transaction and traffic volume and momentum, it's poised just right to build an ads business that sits on top of all of these services. I'm very excited to be leading this charge”, said Praveen Sharma.
Ankit Sinha comes with 15 years of professional experience. Previously, he worked as Regional Business Lead at Google Cloud for six years, primarily in the cloud sales and enterprise partnerships role. Prior to Google, he was part of SAP for seven years, building the SMBs focused partner program.
Talking about his new role at Paytm, Ankit Sinha said, “Paytm has ushered digital payments in India and I am excited to be a part of this team. We expect to start new revenue streams with our SMB merchants, as well as larger corporations across developers and various lines of business. Paytm would leverage its big data and machine learning prowess to provide innovative solutions in different markets.”
Brands
Maharashtra panel orders Lodha to refund Rs 5 crore to homebuyers
Consumer court flags unfair practices in long-running property dispute case
MUMBAI: In a sharp rebuke to one of India’s biggest real estate players, the Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed Macrotech Developers to refund nearly Rs 5 crore to a senior citizen couple, Uttam and Anindita Chatterjee. The ruling, delivered on March 13, 2026, calls out the developer for “deficiency in service” and “unfair trade practices”, bringing closure to a dispute that has stretched over a decade.
The case traces back to 2015, when the couple booked a 3-BHK flat at World Towers in Lower Parel for Rs 12.22 crore, with possession promised within a year. What followed was a series of changes that complicated matters. After deciding to exit the project, they were persuaded to shift to a 4-BHK in another development priced at Rs 8 crore, with delivery scheduled for 2018. However, within months, the price was allegedly increased to Rs 10 crore. After demonetisation reshaped the market, similar flats were reportedly being offered at lower prices, but the couple were not given the benefit.
Despite paying over Rs 2.83 crore, the couple neither received possession nor clarity. Instead, in 2018, the developer unilaterally cancelled the booking, retained part of the amount as earnest money, and argued that the buyers were investors rather than consumers. The commission rejected this claim, observing that casual references to “investment” do not take away consumer rights when the purchase intent is residential.
The bench also held that the developer could not penalise buyers for payment delays while failing to meet its own delivery commitments. It noted the lack of formal documentation for revised terms and termed the prolonged retention of funds without delivering a home as exploitative.
As part of its order, the commission directed the developer to refund Rs 2.83 crore paid by the couple, along with interest at 10 per cent per annum, amounting to around Rs 2.12 crore. In addition, Rs 1 lakh has been awarded for mental agony and Rs 50,000 towards litigation costs, taking the total payout to over Rs 5 crore. The developer has been asked to comply within two months.
For now, the ruling serves as a reminder that in real estate, shifting terms and delayed promises can carry a significant cost.
