Aakash names Alka Garg as CFO

Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) has appointed Alka Garg as its chief financial officer with effect from February 2026.

Her appointment follows the departure of Vipan Joshi, who stepped down from the role after nine years at the test preparation company.

At AESL, she will head the finance function and oversee financial strategy, operational efficiency and governance. She will also support the company in meeting its planned growth objectives.

Garg brings more than two decades of strategic and operational experience across listed companies and start ups. Her background covers both manufacturing and services, working in business to consumer and business to business enterprise environments, with experience across multiple geographies.

Before joining Aakash, she served as the chief financial officer of Yum Restaurant India for over two years. She has also held senior leadership roles at Siemens, GreyOrange and Bharti Airtel.

In addition to Garg’s appointment, AESL has named Kanika Kumar Nijhawan as senior vice president of marketing. She brings more than 17 years of experience across the media, retail and sports sectors, with expertise in brand development, strategic marketing, digital and performance marketing, and omnichannel engagement.

Before joining AESL, she spent a decade at Adidas India, where she served as director of brand marketing. She has also worked with HT Media and Sony Entertainment.

“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,” said Chandra Sekhar Garisa Reddy, Managing Director & CEO of AESL.

The appointments of Garg and Nijhawan follow a series of leadership changes at AESL, including the departure of former CFO Joshi and former MD and CEO Deepak Mehrotra. 

Mehrotra was succeeded by Garisa, who joined AESL in August last year. He previously served as managing director at Claypond Capital, the family investment office of Ranjan Pai, the largest shareholder in the test preparation company.

AESL is trying to move beyond the challenges linked to BYJU’S, while managing its own issues, including leadership transitions and efforts to raise fresh funding.

The company operates a pan India network of more than 415 centres and currently has over 400,000 students enrolled.