Coaching institute ALLEN Career Institute, on Wednesday, said it has appointed Nitin Kukreja as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead its transformational journey as it focuses to deliver a digital-first consumer experience at scale.

The Kota-based company said Kukreja and his team will combine ALLEN’s deep-rooted academic excellence with technology to scale its business, expanding its reach to more students.

“Nitin is a values-driven leader with exceptional strategic capabilities and strong experience in scaling businesses. He will combine the two Ts of Teaching and Technology to offer outcome-driven learning to students,” Brajesh Maheshwari, Chairman of ALLEN Career Institute, said in a statement. “We look forward to Nitin helping realise the full potential of ALLEN’s pioneering position and its 35-year-old legacy.”

Kukreja, who has over two decades of experience in leadership, strategy and investing roles across various sectors, has been associated with ALLEN as a board member.

In his last role, he was the Managing Director of Marigold Park Capital Advisors, leading investments in consumer-tech companies. Prior to that, Kukreja was CEO of Star Sports, and was part of the core leadership team that drove the transformation of Star India into one of Asia’s largest media companies.

Under Kukreja’s leadership, ALLEN aims to expand its reach to 2.5 crore from 3.0 lakh students. 

“I firmly believe that technology can multiply Allen’s positive impact manifold. I look forward to building a future-ready ALLEN and deliver on the aspirations of crores of learners,” Kukreja said. “I’m confident that the Board’s vision, Allen’s brand and our strong team will help us tremendously in this journey.”

Last May, Bodhi Tree Systems, a platform between James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems and Uday Shankar, the former president of Disney APAC, announced a $600 million investment and strategic partnership with ALLEN.

Subsequently, the 35-year-old company entered the edtech space, launching its digital arm ALLEN Digital. Recently, it launched the ALLEN NExT App, a platform designed for PG medical students.

Founded by Rajesh Maheshwari in 1988, ALLEN helps engineering and medical students in college entrance examinations. The company says it has helped 28 lakh students since its inception. ALLEN has a strong record of selection in exams such as NEET, AIIMS, JEE Main, and JEE Advanced, with more than 200 classroom centres in 53 cities.