OYO Hotels and Homes ppointed Dr. Mandar Vaidya as the Chief Executive Officer for Southeast Asia and the Middle East, effective August 1, 2019. 

With over 15 years of experience, Dr. Vaidya would be responsible for driving business growth for OYO in these two regions, which include markets like Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, UAE, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The company has already committed over $200 Mn in investment in Southeast Asia which will help in fueling its aggressive expansion plans in the region over the next couple of years. 

Commenting on the development, Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, OYO Hotels and Homes, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Mandar to the OYO family as he takes the charge of strengthening OYO’s presence in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. He exhibits true characteristics of an OYOpreneur and has a problem-solving attitude which is necessary as we move towards our goal of transforming the global hospitality landscape. These two markets are crucial to our international expansion strategy and 

in a brief period of time, we are delivering high-quality accommodation experience to guests in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”

Before joining OYO, Dr. Vaidya was working at McKinsey and Co. for 15 years, from 2002 to 2017, mostly in India with stints in Singapore and the UK. At Mckinsey, he was a partner and led the health services practice in India, and the hospitals practice for Asia. He also led the Delhi office of McKinsey for four 4 years. After this long stint, Mandar was on sabbatical for the last two years. He also taught a problem-solving course at Ashoka University's Young India Fellowship program. He is a qualified doctor and an MBA from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai. 

On his appointment, Dr. Mandar stated, “Today, OYO Hotels and Homes is synonymous with quality stays, innovation and is driven by passionate individuals who are working towards a mission. I am thrilled to be a part of this ecosystem and shaping the company’s future in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, which are critical growth markets for the company.”

Dr. Mandar’s appointment comes a day after the firm announced the appointment of Gaurav Ajmera, as the Chief Operating Officer, India, and South Asia. The appointments reflect the company’s drive to continue to invest in and attract world-class leadership, as part of its ongoing focus to drive accelerated growth in two of its high potential markets - Southeast Asia and the Middle East. It will be interesting to see how the new leadership will help drive its goal of adding 2 million rooms under management in Southeast Asia by 2025.