PeopleStrong appoints Gaurav Sawhney as CFO amid Goldman-backed growth push

PeopleStrong, the human capital management SaaS platform backed by Goldman Sachs Alternatives, has appointed Gaurav Sawhney as its Chief Financial Officer, the company announced.

Sawhney brings more than 25 years of financial leadership across multinational firms, technology ventures, and high-growth startups in the SaaS, IT, and EdTech sectors. His experience includes senior roles at KPMG, Aricent, the Royal Bank of Scotland, Knowlarity Communications, and Adda Education, where he was credited with leading business turnarounds and financial transformation initiatives.

In a statement, Sawhney said his focus as CFO will be to “build a strong financial backbone that supports scale and drives long-term value for all stakeholders.” He added that PeopleStrong’s “strong product and market momentum” positions it well to accelerate growth in global markets.

Sandeep Chaudhary, Chief Executive Officer of PeopleStrong, welcomed the appointment, describing Sawhney’s addition as “timely” as the company continues to expand its AI-led HCM platform internationally. “His deep expertise in financial strategy will be invaluable as we strengthen our foundation and accelerate our growth agenda,” Chaudhary said.

PeopleStrong’s platform currently supports more than 500 enterprises and over two million users, processing 1.75 million paychecks monthly. The firm has featured in Gartner’s Voice of the Customer report and been named a Customers’ Choice for Cloud HCM Suites for enterprises with over 1,000 employees from 2022 through 2025.

The appointment follows a string of senior leadership moves at the company, including the addition of Dr. Dinesh Kumar Khara as Chairman of the Board. The series of appointments signals PeopleStrong’s intent to fortify its executive ranks as it enters a new phase of global expansion.

Founded in India, PeopleStrong has evolved into one of Asia’s leading HCM SaaS providers, known for integrating AI-driven insights with enterprise workforce management. With backing from Goldman Sachs Alternatives, the company is positioning itself to capitalise on rising demand for digital HR transformation across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.