Mohamed Chaudry, the former chief financial officer (CFO) and co-chief operating officer of Vendease, resigned from the company in April 2025 after overseeing a drastic internal restructuring.
His exit comes at a time when the company is desperately working to cut losses, attract fresh investment, and survive harsh economic climate.
Aside managing finance, Chaudry was involved in re-engineering the company’s structure. Before stepping down, he led a massive cost-cutting campaign that saw 180 staff dismissed.
Pay structures were overhauled. Salaries were slashed and restructured to include equity-based compensation through the Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP). The aim was to keep cash within the company and align employee performance with ownership.
“Alongside my CFO role, I also took on a dual COO role, overseeing the entire supply chain and leading a comprehensive restructuring initiative,” he stated. “Whilst I am proud of helping Vendease navigate and stabilise through this period, my passion has always been in scaling businesses rather than restructuring them.”
That restructuring came at a cost. The company, once prepared for expansion across Africa and the Middle East, was forced to pull out of Ghana.
The economic challenges, especially the devaluation of the naira and high costs of operations, crushed any plans for aggressive scaling. The narrative flipped from growth to survival.
While many in the industry focused on layoffs, few paid attention to the big change in Vendease’s business model. The company overhauled its Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) system. A once flat-fee service is now monetised through daily interest charges.
This was designed to increase short-term revenue but that could complicate long-term relationships with vendors. It’s confident, maybe even risky, but in line with the company’s current tactics.
Internally, the changes divided opinion. Chaudry’s exit didn’t surprise those familiar with his background. A strategist by nature, not a firefighter, he has now moved on to launch The Scale Up CFO Hub, an education platform helping startup founders prepare for investment.
It’s a move that aligns with his long-standing mission, supporting growth-stage companies, not cleaning up after financial missteps.
“I genuinely loved working with everyone on my team, probably the best team I have ever had the pleasure of leading,” he said in a message to TechCabal. Vendease refused to comment on the matter.
The timing of Chaudry’s resignation, paired with the intensity of Vendease’s cost-cutting, shows the company is under pressure from both external economic issues, and internal expectations of profitability.
The former Vendease CFO is now refocusing on what he calls his real passion: helping businesses scale—not shrink.
