OYO, the technology-driven hotel chain, has hired Rakesh Prusti, the Max Healthcare director legal, regulatory affairs and compliance, as its general counsel (GC).

In January of this year, OYO GC Smriti Subramanian had left for e-commerce retail giant Snapdeal, which had been looking for a GC for 9 months.

Prusti would be a “key member of the leadership team” at the company, and would “work closely in all strategic and inorganic initiatives and shall lead and manage contract management, disputes resolution, litigations, setting up risk management and compliance framework, international legal strategy, and policy advocacy among other responsibilities”, according to the company.

Prusti, a qualified company secretary and lawyer, had begun his careers as company secretary at Cottage Industries Exposition in 1997, moved to the ChrysCapital Venture Global Vantedge (now called Aegis) from 2002 and 2005, then joined NIIT Technologies as global legal head and company secretary until 2008.

Between 2008 and 2015 he was the director legal and corporate affairs, and company secretary at French retail giant Carrefour in Gurgaon, before moving to Max Healthcare in Delhi in 2015.

According to OYO’s release, at Max he was “instrumental in several inorganic initiatives, efficient management and creating awareness on managing medico-legal issues, strengthening corporate governance and compliance system and advocacy functions for the company”.

Prusti commented in a press release: “Through its innovative business model, OYO under the dynamic leadership of Ritesh [Agarwal, founder,] has now created history in the Indian hospitality industry. I look forward to play a bigger role with OYO’s exceptionally talented and passionate team and partnering in execution of several high stake projects and leading various corporate governance initiatives and best practices that will be implemented in the near future and contributing strongly in this interesting journey of growth and scale and making it most loved hospitality brand in the affordable and quality living space worldwide.”

OYO founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal added in the release that OYO now had 5,500 “exclusive hotels”, to make it “South Asia’s largest hotel chain”. “Rakesh’s strong legal, corporate governance acumen coupled with high energy and deep understanding of businesses in both startup and highly structured environment will help us meet and advance in our objectives,” he added. “I also look forward to his invaluable leadership in making OYO a more diverse and inclusive workplace.”