upGrad appoints Jeetender Singh as business head of its degree vertical

upGrad announced the appointment of Jeetender Singh as the head of business for its degrees’ vertical, which comprises 3-years Bachelors’ Degrees and 2-years Masters’ Degrees in India. The Implementation of Budget Announcements 2020-21 released with the Union Budget 2021, reckons that the relaxations in regulations governing online and distance education will lead to 239 institutions becoming eligible to offer ‘online full degree’1. Aligned with Central Government’s vision, upGrad is powering JAIN (Deemed-to-be-university), Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, and Chandigarh University to offer online degrees across the country. Jeetender Singh will be responsible for expanding and driving the Degree business.

He brings with him over 15 years of experience, leading functions like sales and marketing, business development, and channel management for some of the well-known organisations in the pharmaceutical, banking, and healthcare sector. Before joining upGrad, Jeetender was the vice-president and Zonal Sales Head at SBI cards heading Karnataka’s retail sales business, handling a team of over 2000 employees. Through the course of his career, he has been associated with renowned brands like Aetna (now CVS), GE, HDFC, and Cipla.

On welcoming Jeetender to his new role, Arjun Mohan, CEO-India, upGrad, said, “Jeetender’s proven record of devising effective strategies for augmenting business, identifying and penetrating new market segments will help us fast track our ambition of building India’s largest online degree portfolio and thereby drive the brand’s deep India penetration goals.”

Jeetender Singh, vice president, Degree Business, upGrad, added: “I am excited to join the global higher edtech major upGrad and use my experience and expertise derived from decades to a larger purpose of changing the lives of millions for the better by helping them accelerate their careers. I look forward to working with this dynamic team in ensuring that learners get an access to high-quality outcome-driven content pedagogy, even in the remotest regions of India. This shall further contribute to shaping the workforce of the future.”

With a host of online degree courses including BA, BBA, BCA, MA, MCA, and MBA from India’s top universities like Chandigarh University, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, and JAIN (Deemed-to-be-University), upGrad provides an opportunity to circumvent the COVID-19 impact on the aspirations of Indian students and working professionals who are now looking at an alternative to the offline learning modes of obtaining degrees without compromising on the learning and career outcomes.

Barring the Degree vertical, upGrad, Asia’s higher edtech major offers courses across Data, Technology, and MBA. Its repertoire covers a range of modern specialisations within the MBA course including Finance, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Strategy, Leadership, and in MCA which includes cybersecurity, and Artificial Intelligence among others.