Shireesh Joshi has officially stepped down from his position as the Chief Business Officer (CBO) of the Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) after a three-and-a-half-year tenure. The news, which was first reported by BW Marketing World, was confirmed through his LinkedIn profile, where Joshi indicated that he left the government-backed network last month.
Joshi, who joined ONDC in 2021, played a pivotal role in the government’s efforts to democratize the ecommerce space by promoting local businesses and advancing a decentralized, open ecommerce model. As CBO and president of network expansion, he helped drive ONDC’s mission to make ecommerce more accessible and inclusive for small merchants and businesses across India.
Under Joshi’s leadership, ONDC expanded rapidly, forming key partnerships with tech companies and platforms such as PhonePe’s Pincode, Ola, Elastic Run, Nazara, KiranaPro, and CoRover. These collaborations provided smaller retailers, startups, and businesses with access to larger customer bases, supporting their growth in a competitive ecosystem.
During his tenure, ONDC grew its network significantly. By January 2025, the platform had onboarded over 7.64 lakh sellers and service providers, spanning more than 616 cities in India. The ecommerce platform also processed a staggering 154.4 million orders since its inception. In December 2024 alone, ONDC processed over 15.4 million orders, with average daily transactions peaking at 4.9 lakh.
Joshi’s departure comes at a time when ONDC is gaining momentum in its mission to provide small businesses and MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) with a level playing field in the online retail sector. The platform was launched in 2021 by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as a government initiative to bring small businesses online and foster greater competition in the ecommerce market.
Before his role at ONDC, Joshi had an extensive career in leadership positions at prominent companies, including Godrej, Bharti Airtel, PepsiCo International, and Procter & Gamble. Additionally, Joshi has been the founder and CEO of Priism Consulting for over 13 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.
While Joshi has yet to comment publicly on his decision to leave ONDC, his leadership was instrumental in establishing the network’s foundational partnerships and expanding its reach across the country. As the ecommerce landscape in India continues to evolve, his departure marks a significant moment for ONDC, which now faces the challenge of maintaining its growth and momentum in the highly competitive ecommerce sector.
