Verma is chief technology officer at Transport for London. Since 2006, he’s been responsible for the operation of TfL’s revenue-collection system, including the Oyster card, the largest smart card based ticketing system in the world. In 2011, he added responsibility for integrating all customer-facing activities and running TfL’s customer-service operations.
Verma has led the development of contactless payments since 2007 and launched the technology in 2012. TfL’s open-loop payments system has since been acclaimed globally and has led to change in other transit fare- payments systems. In the process, Verma carved out an important role for a public-sector organization in technology development and innovation.
Since 2017 he has been responsible for TfL’s integrated delivery of technology and has built a record of technology-led transformation.
Verma has a bachelor of technology degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, and a master’s degree in public policy and an unfinished Ph.D. in public policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
He originally joined TfL in September 2002, after a brief time teaching at Harvard University and then working as an engagement manager at McKinsey in London.