by Andre Haddad
posted on November 9, 2018
Welcoming Shwetank Kumar and Avinash Gangadharan
Coming off the heels of our latest round of funding, we made it a priority to grow Turo and scale the business significantly, so that we’d continue to lead the mobility and car sharing ecosystem. An essential element of this vision was doubling down on strengthening our technology and data infrastructures and strategies, so we have been focused on finding and investing in tremendously smart, savvy executives to join us as our first-ever Chief Data Officer and new Chief Technology Officer.
I’m thrilled that we’ve emerged triumphant, and I’m immensely proud to welcome Shwetank Kumar and Avinash Gangadharan to the Turo executive team. Shwetank joins us as our first Chief Data Officer, and Avinash is taking the helm as our new Chief Technology Officer. I’m thrilled to welcome their sharp minds and depth of experience to the Turo team, and I’m excited to watch them push Turo to new heights of technological sophistication.
Shwetank Kumar (left) and Avinash Gangadharan
Meet Shwetank Kumar
For the past two decades, Shwetank has been working with data — first as a physicist and subsequently as a technology executive. Before joining Turo, Shwetank applied his skills to a range of industries, from semiconductors to satellite imagery, always building deeply technical teams capable of solving complex problems at the intersection of technology and business. He has a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Caltech, an MBA from Wharton, and has led R&D at Synaptics, Intel, and IBM Research.
From Turo’s earliest days, data has been an integral part of the company’s DNA and a key to our continued success. Data helps define the features and experiences we bring to our community, deepens our understanding of consumer preferences and habits, and continually guides our strategy as we strive for new levels of technological sophistication and excellence. Additionally, I’m incredibly pleased to bring our Data Science, Data Engineering, and Data Analytics teams together, under Shwetank’s leadership. As Turo’s data organization, these teams will inform the business and product through a combination of data, machine learning models, and analytical insights.
Shwetank’s expertise will play a crucial role in paving Turo’s future, and ensuring our ability to leverage data in intelligent, powerful applications. I also must extend a deep, heartfelt thank you to the leadership of our Data teams for their contributions on the journey to finding our first CDO!
Meet Avinash Gangadharan
Avinash has an extraordinary 20 years of experience building the fundamentals of marketplaces, payments, and retail. He is an avid fan of the sharing economy and has a great love for consumer spaces. Beginning as an entry level engineer, Avinash honed his skills and rose up the ranks at companies like eBay, Paypal, and WalmartLabs, where he managed large teams that delivered software at scale on web and mobile platforms. Prior to joining Turo, Avinash was the Vice President of Engineering at Walmart, and he holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science.
At Turo, Avinash will bring significant experience scaling teams and systems, as well as a wealth of experience in product and technology. He eagerly seeks out big challenges, is a fantastic fit with our team, and I look forward to Avinash’s contributions over the years to come. I’m excited to see our Engineering team continue to raise the bar on their invaluable contributions to the Turo product, and to create a rich, collaborative, and supportive Engineering culture that’s unique to Turo. Finally, a big thanks to the Engineering leadership team, who played an enormous role over the past few months in recruiting Avinash as our new CTO!
Onward and upward!
I couldn’t be happier to welcome these seasoned experts to both the Turo family and the executive team. I’m confident they’ll continue to elevate both our product and our business to new, more sophisticated heights and I’m thrilled to have them join us on this journey as we labor to put the world’s 1,200,000,000 cars to better use.
Andre Haddad
Andre is the Turo CEO and a true car enthusiast. After many years in the consumer web space, he combines his passion for cars, technology, and the environment each day at Turo as he works to put the world’s one billion cars to better use.
