Gaurav Munjal to Step Down as Unacademy CEO, Akhilendra Kumar to Take Over
- Gaurav Munjal is moving from CEO to Executive Chairman of Unacademy. Akhilendra Kumar, the company’s former Chief Business Officer, will become CEO.
- Kumar joined Unacademy in January 2022 and previously worked at OYO and Exide Industries.
- The leadership change follows upGrad’s acquisition of Unacademy in September 2026.
Unacademy co-founder Gaurav Munjal has announced that he will move from the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to Executive Chairman of the edtech company. Akhilendra Kumar, who previously served as Unacademy’s Chief Business Officer (CBO), will take over as the new CEO.
Munjal announced the leadership change on November 11, 2026, through a LinkedIn post. He clarified that the transition does not mean he is stepping away from the company’s operations and said he would continue to work alongside Kumar on a daily basis.
“To be clear, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll stay fully involved in operations every day, work alongside Akhilendra and help with the upGrad IPO,” Munjal said in the post.
He also expressed confidence in Kumar’s leadership, describing him as one of the sharpest operators he knows and saying he was proud to have him lead the company into its next phase.
Who Is Akhilendra Kumar, Unacademy’s New CEO?
Akhilendra Kumar’s appointment marks an internal leadership transition at Unacademy. He joined the company in January 2022 and subsequently held business leadership roles before becoming its Chief Business Officer.
Before joining Unacademy, Kumar worked at hospitality technology company OYO, where he held business and operations-related roles. His professional experience also includes a stint at Exide Industries.
As CBO, Kumar was involved in Unacademy’s business operations before being appointed to lead the company. His elevation places an executive with experience within the organisation at the top of its management structure.
Munjal’s continued involvement is also notable. While Kumar will take over as CEO, the co-founder has indicated that he will remain closely involved in operational matters and work with the new chief executive.
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Leadership Change Follows upGrad’s Acquisition of Unacademy
The leadership transition comes after Ronnie Screwvala-led upGrad acquired Unacademy in September 2026. The transaction involved Unacademy’s parent company, Sorting Hat Technologies Private Limited, and upGrad Education Private Limited.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) approved the proposed acquisition and merger on July 7, 2026. The all-stock transaction valued Unacademy at slightly over $200 million, significantly below its peak valuation of approximately $3.44 billion in 2021.
The acquisition brought Unacademy’s test-preparation business and associated offerings under the upGrad umbrella. Munjal’s reference to helping with the upGrad IPO also places the leadership transition in the context of the group’s future plans.
Apart from Unacademy, Munjal has also founded Airlearn, an AI-powered language-learning platform that has crossed 2 million monthly downloads and entered the top five most-downloaded language-learning apps globally, according to figures shared by him. He said the platform achieved this growth without relying on performance marketing.
