Kult names Parag Gupta CFO as it sharpens financial strategy for rapid growth

MUMBAI: Kult, the AI-led beauty and personalisation platform, has appointed Parag Gupta as chief financial officer as the company accelerates its expansion and locks in large inventory-financing lines from banks and institutional lenders.

Gupta, a chartered accountant and business-transformation specialist with more than 20 years’ experience, has led financial strategy across global technology and consumer businesses. He previously served as group CFO at College Dekho, directed PayPal India’s market entry, acted as India CFO at AT&T, and oversaw global financial operations at Nimbuzz BVI. His career spans multi-hundred-million-dollar businesses, offshore operations and complex finance transitions for firms including Washington Mutual Bank and Dell International Services.

“Parag’s mix of MNC discipline and startup agility is rare,” said Kult e-commerce founder and CEO Karishma Singh. “With major inventory financing underway, having a financial steward of his calibre was essential.”

Gupta will steer mergers and acquisitions, investor engagement and corporate development as Kult builds on its recent $20 million Series A raise. He said India’s beauty market remains at a “nascent stage”, with Kult poised to carve out a niche through AI and personalisation.

His appointment strengthens Kult’s senior bench alongside recent hires including Rishi as chief business officer and Ravish as head of marketing, as the platform looks to reshape India’s beauty-retail landscape through technology.