Suhail Sameer, former CEO of BharatPe
Suhail Sameer served as CEO of BharatPe from 2021-2023; explore his journey steering the fintech through its most turbulent chapter.
Written by TFN Research Desk | covering startups, technology, venture capital, and business strategy.
Table of Contents
- Who is Suhail Sameer?
- Early Life and Education
- Career Before BharatPe
- How He Joined BharatPe
- Leading Through Crisis
- Departure and Aftermath
- Public Recognition
- Suhail Sameer’s Ventures vs Peers
- Investor Perspective
- Career Timeline
- Key Takeaways
- FAQs
- Sources
Who is Suhail Sameer?
Suhail Sameer is the former CEO of BharatPe, brought in as a professional operator to build institutional structure around a fast-scaling fintech company, and later called upon to steady it through one of Indian startup history’s most public governance crises. A former McKinsey consultant and RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group executive, he took over as CEO in August 2021, just months before co-founder Ashneer Grover’s dramatic exit thrust him into managing the fallout.
Early Life and Education
Sameer is an alumnus of Delhi College of Engineering, now Delhi Technological University, and went on to complete his MBA at the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow. That engineering and management combination gave him a foundation across both technical and strategic domains before he moved into consulting.
Career Before BharatPe
Sameer began his career at McKinsey & Company, where he led the firm’s clean-tech practice for South Asia and its power practice for India. He then joined the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group, where he launched and scaled the group’s multi-brand FMCG business, eventually becoming CEO of Guiltfree Industries (RP-SG FMCG). He also set up and led RPSG Ventures, the group’s consumer venture capital fund, as Managing Partner, and served as Whole Time Director at listed entity CESC Ventures. Alongside this, he founded OTP Venture Partners in 2016, an early-stage investment firm focused on consumer, consumer tech, and SaaS companies, which he has continued running concurrently with his corporate roles.
How He Joined BharatPe
BharatPe appointed Sameer as its first-ever Group President in August 2020, brought in specifically to build organizational structure around the company’s rapidly growing merchant network, business, and revenue functions, with all C-suite executives reporting into him. At the time, BharatPe claimed to serve over 4 million merchants and had grown its business thirtyfold in 2019, reflecting the scale of operational discipline the founders felt the company needed. He has said the decision to leave an established conglomerate for an early-stage startup came down to a deliberate choice between an easier, more established path and the higher-risk excitement of building something from a much earlier stage, a bet he made in his mid-thirties while he still had the financial cushion to take the risk.
Leading Through Crisis
Sameer was promoted to CEO of BharatPe in August 2021. Just months later, in early 2022, co-founder Ashneer Grover took a voluntary leave of absence amid a leaked audio controversy, followed by a board-commissioned audit alleging financial irregularities, and Grover’s eventual resignation from the company’s board in February 2022. As CEO throughout this period, Sameer was responsible for managing BharatPe’s public reputation, investor relationships, and operational continuity while the company navigated the fallout from very public founder disputes and litigation.
Departure and Aftermath
Sameer stepped down as CEO of BharatPe in January 2023, transitioning into a strategic advisor role, with the company’s CFO, Nalin Negi, appointed interim CEO to ensure a smooth transition. His departure came roughly a year after managing the company through its most turbulent period, and marked his return to focusing more fully on OTP Venture Partners.
Public Recognition
Sameer won the Economic Times Most Promising Leader of Asia Award and was featured on Business World’s 40 Under 40 list in 2019. He has also been recognized among WCRC’s Asia’s Top 10 Emerging Leaders and LinkedIn’s 14 Most Influential Leaders for India, and serves as a Mentor of Change for NITI Aayog’s Atal Innovation Mission.
Suhail Sameer’s Ventures vs Peers
| Role | Period | Focus |
| BharatPe (CEO) | 2021-2023 | Merchant payments and lending fintech |
| RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group (President) | 2016-2020 | Diversified conglomerate, FMCG and consumer VC |
| OTP Venture Partners (Founder) | 2016-present | Early-stage consumer, consumer tech, and SaaS investing |
Sameer’s career path, moving between conglomerate leadership, startup executive roles, and independent venture investing, distinguishes him from founder-CEOs, positioning him instead as a professional operator brought in specifically to institutionalize fast-growing but governance-fragile companies.
Investor Perspective
Sameer’s McKinsey and conglomerate background gave him the operational credibility to be trusted with steering BharatPe through a period that would have destabilized many less experienced executives. His willingness to take on the CEO role at a company already showing signs of governance strain reflects genuine risk appetite. The primary lesson his tenure illustrates is that professional managers brought into founder-led startups can provide essential stability during a crisis, even if they are not positioned to resolve the underlying founder-level disputes that caused it.
Career Timeline
- Education — Delhi College of Engineering, then MBA at IIM Lucknow
- Early career — Leads McKinsey’s clean-tech and power practices
- 2016 — Founds OTP Venture Partners
- 2016-2020 — Serves as President, RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group; CEO, Guiltfree Industries
- Aug 2020 — Joins BharatPe as Group President
- Aug 2021 — Promoted to CEO of BharatPe
- Feb 2022 — Manages company through Ashneer Grover’s board resignation and fallout
- Jan 2023 — Steps down as CEO, transitions to strategic advisor
- Present — Continues as Founder and Managing Partner, OTP Ventures
Key Takeaways
- Professional operators brought into founder-led startups can provide critical institutional stability during governance crises.
- Taking a calculated career risk at a financially secure stage, as Sameer did leaving RPSG, can open doors to higher-stakes leadership roles.
- Running an independent venture fund alongside executive roles gave Sameer continuity and options beyond any single company’s trajectory.
- Managing a company through public controversy, rather than founding it, is its own distinct leadership skill set.
FAQs
Who is Suhail Sameer?
The former CEO of BharatPe, who led the company from August 2021 to January 2023.
When did Sameer join BharatPe?
He joined as Group President in August 2020 before becoming CEO in 2021.
Why did Sameer leave BharatPe?
He stepped down in January 2023, transitioning to a strategic advisor role, following a period managing the company through Ashneer Grover’s exit.
Where did Sameer study?
Delhi College of Engineering and IIM Lucknow.
What did Sameer do before BharatPe?
He worked at McKinsey and held senior roles at the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group.
What is OTP Ventures?
An early-stage investment firm Sameer founded in 2016, focused on consumer, consumer tech, and fintech.
What awards has Sameer received?
The Economic Times Most Promising Leader of Asia and Business World’s 40 Under 40, among others.
What defines Sameer’s career?
Moving between conglomerate leadership and startup crisis management as a professional operator.
Sources
- CEO Insights India — BharatPe Appoints Suhail Sameer as Group President: https://www.ceoinsightsindia.com/news/bharatpe-appoints-suhail-sameer-ex-mckinsey-rpsg-as-group-president-nwid-3365.html
- Best Media Info — BharatPe CEO Suhail Sameer quits: https://bestmediainfo.com/2023/01/bharatpe-ceo-suhail-sameer-quits
- Della Leaders Club — Suhail Sameer profile: https://www.dellaleaders.com/profile/suhail-sameer/
- The Prestige Magazine — In Conversation With Suhail Sameer, CEO, BharatPe: https://theprestige.global/knowing-an-entrepreneurs-mind/
- StartupTalky — Suhail Sameer: Career and BharatPe leadership: https://startuptalky.com/suhail-sameer-the-mastermind-behind-fintech-disruption-and-startup-success/
- Indian Television Dot Com — BharatPe appoints Suhail Sameer as group president: https://admin.indiantelevision.com/mam/media-and-advertising/people/bharatpe-appoints-suhail-sameer-as-group-president-200813
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