Ola, one of the world’s largest rideshare platforms, has announced the appointment of Andrew Balint as CMO for ANZ.

Hired to support Ola’s growth across its ten metro locations, Balint joins a raft of new appointments across marketing, communications, legal and policy, HR, product and partnerships, as the company accelerates the expansion of its local team.

With more than 20 years of marketing leadership experience in Australia, Balint brings with him a diversified set of skills.

Balint has held marketing and commercial roles with Qantas, eBay, News Corp, Optus and Amaysim.

He said: “It’s an incredibly exciting opportunity to join Ola. Digital is in my DNA and I plan to bring this passion to the company, along with my expertise in transformational marketing, to drive entrepreneurial thinking and embed the customer at the heart of every part of the business.

“I join a team of exceptional, driven professionals as we look to providing Australia’s best rideshare experience for both drivers and riders”.

Ola MD ANZ Simon Smith said: “Securing Andrew’s appointment is a great win for Ola’s Australian and New Zealand business and a key element of building a stellar local leadership team.

“Having worked with Andrew in the past I know he’s capable of big things, and I am confident that he has the energy, experience, strategic thinking and customer-centric approach that will be critical in continuing to grow Ola across the two markets”.

Andrew will play a pivotal role in expanding the Ola business across Australia and New Zealand, as it builds on a successful twelve-months following the disruptor brand’s first local city launch, Perth, in February 2018.

Ola now also operates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Canberra, and launched in New Zealand late last year, across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.