Uber India policy head Shweta Rajpal Kohli quits

New Delhi: Uber India's Head of Public Policy Shweta Rajpal Kohli has resigned from the company, a little over a year after joining the US-based firm. Kohli had joined Uber India in September last year and was responsible for the company's relations with policymakers, regulators, government officials, industry bodies and others.

Confirming the development, an Uber spokesperson said: "Shweta has been a great advocate for Uber and the development of ridesharing in India. She has contributed immensely to building our reputation in India, and we wish her every success in future."

The company has not named a replacement for Kohli yet and is scouting for candidates for the role. A former journalist, Kohli has been associated with firms like NDTV, Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd, Business Standard, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express.

"I'm extremely proud of the team we've built to push forward progressive ridesharing reform measures in one of the fastest growing regions for the company. I'm sure Uber will continue to grow from strength to strength in India and South Asia," Kohli said in an e-mailed statement.

She, however, did not disclose her next destination. India is the second-largest country of operations for Uber after the US. It has seen a strong growth in its operations here with the number of completed trips on its platform growing to 41.3 million in July this year, from 19.2 million in July 2016, a jump of 115 per cent.

It is fighting an intense battle for leadership in the Indian market with SoftBank-backed Ola. Interestingly, it has started talks with SoftBank for a potential investment that reports suggest could be worth as much as USD 10 billion.

However, the world's most funded startup has also had its share of troubles in the Indian market. The company was temporarily banned in Delhi after one of the drivers on its platform allegedly raped a woman passenger in 2014.