Oyo appoints CEO for Southeast Asia, Middle East markets

Oyo Hotels and Homes has appointed Mandar Vaidya as CEO for Southeast Asia and the Middle East as it continues to accelerate growth in the two high-potential markets.

Photo credit: Oyo

Vaidya will be responsible for driving business growth for Oyo in the two regions, which include markets such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

“These two markets are crucial to our international expansion strategy. Under Mandar’s leadership, we look forward to establishing a strong relationship with asset owners in these regions […],” Oyo founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal said.

Prior to joining Oyo, Vaidya worked as a partner at McKinsey and Co. for 15 years mostly in India, with stints in Singapore and the UK. He led the health services practice in India, and hospital practices for Asia. He also taught a problem-solving course at Ashoka University’s Young India Fellowship program.

He gained his medical qualification from Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital in Mumbai. After a brief stint as a medical officer, he opted out of a medical degree in obstetrics and gynecology and pursued a master’s degree in business from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute, Mumbai.

Today, Oyo has over 1,260 hotels and more than 32,600 exclusive rooms under management in Southeast Asia, and it plans to add 2 million more rooms by 2025, it said in a statement. In the Middle East, it has over 275 hotels and homes and more than 8,000 exclusive rooms.

“The company has already committed over US$200 million in investment in Southeast Asia, which will help in fueling its aggressive expansion plans in the region over the next couple of years,” Oyo said.