Who is Manoj Kohli, former Bharti Airtel executive onboarded to fintech Alt DRX’s Advisory Board?
Manoj Kohli, former MD and CEO of Bharti Airtel, has joined fintech Alt DRX’s Advisory Board as a non-executive advisor, the company said today (May 6). The company, India’s first tokenized digital real estate marketplace, said it aims to bring together “one of the most formidable self-governance walls in Indian fintech.”
Other key figures on Alt DRX’s advisory board include Reliance Industries veteran Ananth Ravi; Ganesh Balasubramanian, former Chairman, HSBC Technologies India; GN Bajpai, former LIC and SEBI Chairman; Jitender Balakrishnan, former DMD of IDBI; and Richard Rekhy, former CEO of KPMG India.
Addition of Manoj Kohli to Alt DRX’s advisory board
Kohli’s leadership in telecom, technology, renewable energy and digital innovation “brings an unparalleled depth of strategic and operational consulting expertise to Alt DRX,” according to the statement.
“Kohli has been at the epicenter of every major digital wave in India over the last two decades,” he added.
In the statement, Bajpai said the Sub-DRX Advisory Board is assembled on a single principle: “to bring together the minds that are building institutions, scaling markets and shaping policy rather than just observing.” He added that Kohli embodies this combination with the strategic and operational depth the “young” company needs.
“I warmly welcome him as Chairman of the Alt DRX Advisory Board and look forward to the wisdom he will bring to this exciting journey of building India’s most trusted tokenized digital asset market,” Bajpai added.
Who is Manoj Kohil? Here’s everything you need to know
Kohli previously served as MD and CEO of telecom giant Bharti Airtel. The company scaled its operations to 20 countries and increased its subscriber base from 2 million to over 400 million.
A veteran with 44 years of professional experience, after Airtel, he served as Country Head of SoftBank India, where he managed investments of over $15 billion in companies such as Flipkart, Meesho, Ola, Oyo, Swiggy and Zomato. He currently advises CEOs and founders in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the United States.
In the statement, Kohli said housing is the “most desired asset class in India”, adding that it is still out of reach for many. “Tokenization seems to have the potential to change this arithmetic permanently – not as a speculative tool, but as an asset-based access to qualified real estate. I am happy to contribute my experience in guiding them to scale this mission across India and globally,” he added.
About the company: Alt DRX
Alt DRX is India’s first D2C asset tokenization marketplace and the first fintech licensed for asset tokenization outside India (e.g. enabling B2B use cases in the Middle East as a Token Service Provider by Qatar Financial Centre). It uses algorithmic pricing, instant payments and blockchain ledgers, according to the publication.
The statement added that Alt DRX is in the process of gaining approval from India’s unified financial services regulator IFSCA in GIFT City to tokenize USD-denominated offshore assets.
The company’s annual recurring revenue (ARR) is around 200 thousand. ₹35 crore and handles around 4,25,000 transactions annually. rose up close ₹The statement stated that 45 crore growth capital has been raised from key global and Indian investors.
The startup was recognized as India’s Top 10 Technology Innovators by HDFC Capital and won the Best WealthTech Platform award at Global Fintech Fest 2025.
Disclaimer: Hindustan Media Ventures is the investor in Alt DRX.
