Mumbai: Homegrown jobs and professional networking platform apna has announced the appointment of Ronak Shah as the head of data. Shah is apna’s first data leader and will fully focus on creating data strategies for the platform.

Shah's appointment is in line with apna’s efforts to invest in and attract world-class leadership to support the company’s mission of empowering a billion lives, said the platform in a statement on Tuesday. "In this role, Shah will be leading apna’s data science and engineering teams to build a data-powered platform that will help apna’s user base to fulfill their aspirations," it added.

“Ronak is a product visionary with a passion to incorporate data learning and innovation to improve the quality of living. His vast knowledge and expertise will play a pivotal role in improving our platform as we build for the world," said apna chief business officer Manas Singh, welcoming Shah on board.

An alumnus of the University of Southern California, Shah brings with him experience of more than a decade in building data strategies, knowledge graphs, machine learning, and business intelligence for top tech companies. Prior to joining apna, he has worked with large global companies including Amazon, Glassdoor, Coursera, and Citrix Online.

“Data can play a significant role in apna’s mission of solving the earth-scale problem of skilling and unemployment. I am thrilled to be a part of this team and work with highly skilled leaders who are on a mission to transform the world and empower a billion lives,” said Ronak Shah about his new stint.

In recent months, apna has recorded growth with 22 million-plus users, more than 200,000 employer partners, and a presence in 48 cities in India. The platform is currently enabling over 18 million interviews and 35 million professional conversations monthly, said the statement.