New Delhi, Feb 4 (IANS): Leading financial services company BharatPe on Thursday appointed Gautam Kaushik as its second Group President in the company.

Prior to joining BharatPe, Kaushik was the CEO and MD of PAYBACK India where he led the largest customer loyalty programme in the country.

A veteran in leading successful multi-million dollar businesses in payments and financial services, he will work with Ashneer Grover, Co-Founder and CEO of BharatPe, and lead payments and banking partnerships.

"It is important for us to build an engaged merchant base and I am confident that Kaushik's experience in building one of the largest customer loyalty programme in the country will empower us to do so," said Grover.

Former Amex CFO, Kaushik has also held multiple roles at American Express. Before joining American Express, Gautam worked for Tata Strategic Management Group in Mumbai.

"BharatPe is the fastest growing Fintech startup in the country. The team has done phenomenal work in the past 2.5 years. I believe we enjoy a great opportunity to transform the financial services landscape for merchants across the country," Kaushik said.

BharatPe last month announced that it has raised Rs 139 crore (nearly $20 million) in debt from Alteria Capital and ICICI Bank.

The company raised Rs 90 crore in debt from Alteria Capital and Rs 49 crore from ICICI Bank. The company has raised a total of Rs 199 crore in debt to date.