ITV

Category: People

  • Ajay Khurana takes the wheel at ECL Finance to drive MSME lending shift

    Ajay Khurana takes the wheel at ECL Finance to drive MSME lending shift

    MUMBAI: ECL Finance has just swapped gears in its leadership engine. As of 1 April 2025, Ajay K. Khurana officially took charge as managing director, armed with four decades of no-nonsense banking muscle and a mandate to turbocharge the company’s pivot to MSME lending. Following the Reserve Bank of India’s nod, ECL has pulled the trigger on a leadership move that blends governance grit with digital flair.

    Khurana isn’t just another pinstripe suit in a boardroom. With heavyweight stints at Bank of Baroda, Syndicate Bank and Vijaya Bank, he’s been elbows-deep in consumer banking, risk management and digital transformation. He’s also no stranger to shaping the financial plumbing of the country, having served on boards like NPCI and Indo Zambia Bank, and chaired Baroda Global Shared Services and Baroda Sun Technologies to push tech-led banking upgrades.

    ECL Finance is currently steering its strategy away from its old-school wholesale roots. Over the last five years, the company slashed its wholesale lending book by a staggering 85 per cent and trimmed its debt by 80 per cent, opting instead for a leaner, cleaner, retail-focused model. Now, it’s going all-in on asset-light MSME lending, betting on agility over bulk.

    With Khurana at the helm, the game plan is clear: scale sustainably, innovate boldly, and bring some digital dazzle to the often-boring world of finance. And given his track record, it looks like ECL Finance may finally be ready to play offence rather than just defence.

     

  • Upgrad taps Sunita Mohanty to steer revenue ship into global waters

    Upgrad taps Sunita Mohanty to steer revenue ship into global waters

    MUMBAI: When a growth rocket needs fuel, you call in a heavy hitter. And that’s exactly what Upgrad Enterprise has done by appointing Sunita Mohanty as its new revenue head. Effective March 2025, the skilling juggernaut has onboarded the industry veteran to supercharge strategy, scale partnerships, and rake in revenues from India to the middle east—and a few time zones beyond.

    Announced on 2 April 2025, this strategic hire marks a bold step as Upgrad doubles down on its mission to build a future-ready workforce through enterprise learning. Mohanty isn’t just bringing her suitcase to the Bengaluru HQ—she’s bringing a two-decade track record of turning chaos into quarter-on-quarter miracles.

    Armed with 25+ years of firepower across Wipro, Oracle, Capgemini, Sodexo, and most recently, SAP (where she led cloud success services for the Indian subcontinent), Mohanty has seen it all. Sales, delivery, customer success, P&L management—she’s the kind of leader who’ll not just move the needle but replace it with a laser pointer.

    “It’s an exciting growth phase for us – we are doubling down on our business and leadership, to ensure continued growth. Sunita brings core capabilities in building and scaling high-impact enterprise solutions while also driving stronger customer engagement. Her strategic acumen will help us unlock new market opportunities and scale into newer regions to support global organisations build a future-ready talent pipeline for effective business ROI,” said Upgrad Enterprise CEO Srikanth Iyengar.

    Mohanty’s playbook will focus on expanding global enterprise partnerships, especially with India HQ organisations, GCCs and multinational players. Her sharp focus? GenAI, emerging tech, and the skilling solutions that make CFOs smile.

    “The rapid shifts in macroeconomic conditions and disruptive technological advancements are compelling businesses to rethink their workforce strategies. Organisations are no longer just adapting but actively future-proofing their talent to stay ahead in an ever-evolving landscape. For Upgrad Enterprise, this is an exciting opportunity to be a strategic partner in shaping the workforce of tomorrow. By bridging critical skill gaps and equipping employees with future-ready capabilities, we are driving not just learning, but transformation. I’m thrilled to be part of this next phase of growth and impact at Upgrad,” said Mohanty.

    An alumna of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, Mohanty will be based in Bengaluru. With a career crafted at the crossroads of tech and transformation, her arrival signals Upgrad’s serious push into global C-suite conversations.

  • Pidilite shuffles top deck, appointing Vats as MD and Singh as joint MD

    Pidilite shuffles top deck, appointing Vats as MD and Singh as joint MD

    MUMBAI: Pidilite Industries has announced a shake-up in its top brass, appointing Sudhanshu Vats as managing director and Kavinder Singh as joint managing director, effective from  10 April 2025. This move comes as Bharat Puri, who’s steered the company for a decade, steps down from his managing director role.

    The board expressed “deep appreciation and gratitude” for Puri’s “valuable contributions..”  Puri, who’s been at the helm since 10 April 2015, will transition to a non-executive and non-independent director role for a three-year term.
    Durai Babu Sreenivasan
    M.B. Parekh, executive chairman of Pidilite, waxed eloquent about Puri’s tenure, stating, “Pidilite has made substantial progress and created significant shareholder value during his term.” He also welcomed Vats and Singh, saying their appointments “will reflect the next phase of the Pidilite leadership journey.” 

    Meanwhile, in a separate announcement, the company also appointed Durai Babu Sreenivasan as chief business officer (industrial products –  IP), effective from 1 April  2025. Sreenivasan, a seasoned sales and marketing veteran with over 31 years of experience in the adhesives sector, joins Pidilite’s senior management team. He’s had stints at Henkel Adhesives Technologies, Raghavendra Chemicals, and Delta Forge., and holds an MBA in Marketing from Annamalai University.

  • Booze behemoth ABD revamps top brass

    Booze behemoth ABD revamps top brass

    MUMBAI; Allied Blenders and Distillers Limited (ABD), India’s prominent liquor company, has announced three significant management changes to strengthen its leadership team.

    The company has re-appointed Resham Chhabria J Hemdev as vice chairperson for another three-year term. The Wharton-educated executive, who first joined as executive director in June 2021, brings her experience in consumer marketing to connect with younger consumers. As the daughter of chairman Kishore Chhabria and co-chairperson Bina K. Chhabria, she combines family business understanding with formal training from Harvard Business School and the University of Mumbai.

    Simultaneously, master blender Arun Barik has been re-appointed as executive director for three more years. A veteran with 32 years in the spirits industry, Barik has crafted blends for numerous brands throughout his career at Shaw & Wallace, Seagram-Pernod Ricard and Mason and Summers before joining ABD in 2009. His technical expertise has been instrumental in product development and quality control.
     

    Arun Barik and Bikram Basu

    Completing the leadership changes, Bikram Basu has stepped down as chief innovation and strategy officer to take up the managing director position at ABD Maestro Pvt Ltd—a subsidiary of the parent company—in what appears to be a strategic internal promotion.

    Industry observers suggest these moves are part of ABD’s strategy to maintain competitiveness in India’s evolving alcohol market, where established brands compete with new entrants for market share in a country with growing premium spirits consumption.

    All announcements were made on 31 March 2025, following approval from the company’s board of directors, with the executive appointments subject to shareholder approval.

  • Blue Star hires ex-Unilever exec Mohit Sud to head unitary cooling division

    Blue Star hires ex-Unilever exec Mohit Sud to head unitary cooling division

    MUMBAI; Blue Star Limited has tapped Mohit Sud, a seasoned Hindustan Unilever executive, to lead its burgeoning air-conditioning empire as group president of unitary cooling products. 

    Sud, armed with a mechanical engineering degree and an MBA from XLRI Jamshedpur, brings over two decades of soap-selling savvy to the cooling game. After cutting his teeth across India flogging everything from detergents to beauty potions, the former vice president will now build Blue Star’s market position.

    Sud will shoulder end-to-end responsibility for the company’s portfolio of room air conditioners, deep freezers, water coolers, visi coolers and modular cold rooms—essentially anything that keeps things nippy. His remit covers the full gamut: sales, marketing, service, R&D, manufacturing and supply chain.

    “The market for room air conditioners and commercial refrigeration products is poised for exponential growth in the coming years, and we aim to further buildon our leadership position and grow our market share,”   declared  Blue Star managing director B Thiagarajan. “Mohit’s rich experience in sales, distribution and marketing will be extremely valuable.’’

    “The Company has been on a growth path, and I am very optimistic about our prospects. To be future-ready, we have been making significant investments in R&D, manufacturing, digitalisation, sales and marketing. Simultaneously, we are strengthening our leadership team with external and internal talent. Mohit is an important addition to our team as wescale our consumer-facing businesses,” added chairman & managing director Vir S Advani.

  • JSW Sports and SRFI sign MoU to serve three more squash tourneys

    JSW Sports and SRFI sign MoU to serve three more squash tourneys

    MUMBAI: JSW Sports and the Squash Rackets Federation of India (SRFI) have struck a deal that’s set to turn India into a squash hotspot, announcing three more international tournaments on home soil. Fresh off the heels of the JSW Indian Open in Mumbai, where Anahat Singh reigned supreme, this partnership is serving up a volley of excitement.

    The landmark memorandum of understanding (MoU), signed by SRFI patron  N Ramachandran and Inspire Institute of Sport and JSW Sports founder & director Parth Jindal guarantees three years of world-class squash action, with Mumbai, New Delhi, and Chennai set to host the PSA Squash Copper tournaments.

    This isn’t just about tournaments; it’s about nurturing talent. The partnership will bring in top-tier coaches to work with Indian players, giving them a fighting chance against the world’s best as they eye the Los Angeles 2028 Summer Olympics. With six players already in the top 100 world rankings, Indian squash is ready to make a racket.

    Parth Jindal, ever the sports enthusiast, declared, “We at JSW Sports are whole-heartedly standing in support of squash as we march on towards the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028. The idea is to bring high quality squash to the country as Indian players prepare for the ultimate dream.”

    N Ramachandran, equally enthusiastic, added, “We are delighted to be partnering with JSW Sports, they have been one of the pioneers in terms of working towards a robust sporting ecosystem in the country. The aim of this initiative is solely to give our Indian squash players a good platform to participate in as they keep one eye on the Olympics. The SRFI  is very excited for what’s in store in the next few years. May this lay the foundations for an Olympic medal in squash for India.”
     

    JSW Sports, known for its support of various sporting ventures, including JSW Bengaluru FC and the Delhi Capitals, is now adding squash to its roster. With the Inspire Institute of Sport already making waves, this partnership is set to be a smash hit for Indian squash.

  • Prism Johnson shareholders give Aggarwal and Chandak a three-year encore

    Prism Johnson shareholders give Aggarwal and Chandak a three-year encore

    MUMBAI: Prism Johnson Ltd’s shareholders have given a resounding “yes” to continuity, reappointing Vijay Aggarwal as managing director and Sarat Kumar Chandak as whole-time director (executive director & CEO, HRJ) for another three-year stint. The decision, sealed via postal ballot and remote e-voting, confirms the shareholders’ confidence in the duo’s leadership.

    Aggarwal, a seasoned veteran with a career stretching back to 2010 at Prism Johnson and 1998 at the erstwhile H. & R. Johnson (India) Limited, brings a wealth of experience to the table. An IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, complete with gold medals and a stint at SBI Capital Markets, he’s seen it all.

    Chandak, who joined Prism Johnson in 2018 and ascended to his current role in 2019, boasts over 30 years of experience in the building materials industry. With a BSc from Sambalpur University, a post-graduate diploma from NIIT-Nagpur, and an MBA from Pune University, he’s a well-rounded leader.

  • Reema Kundnani climbs Brookfield’s property ladder

    Reema Kundnani climbs Brookfield’s property ladder

    MUMBAI: Reema Kundnani has just bagged a promotion at Brookfield Properties, leaping from senior vice president to executive vice president, head of marketing and key account management. She’s clearly not one to let the grass grow under her feet, having made a right splash in her three years at the company, shaping marketing strategies.

    Kundnani, who announced her promotion on LinkedIn, is clearly a seasoned pro. Before her Brookfield stint, she held senior roles at Oberoi Realty, Tech Mahindra, and i-flex Solutions. She’s clearly collected more business cards than most people have had hot dinners.

    At Oberoi Realty, she was executive vice president, head of marketing, corporate communications, and luxury residential sales, which is a right mouthful. At Tech Mahindra, she led marketing and alliances across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, India, and Africa. So, she’s clearly a global player, not just a local one. And at i-flex Solutions, she started her ascent as assistant manager, marketing, proving that everyone has to start somewhere.

  • Karan Bakshi joins Cummins Inc. as director of talent acquisition

    Karan Bakshi joins Cummins Inc. as director of talent acquisition

    MUMBAI: Cummins Inc. has appointed Karan Bakshi as the director of talent acquisition for the India and Pacific region. With over 15 years of experience in human resources & recruitment, he brings a strong background in building high-performing teams.

    In his new role, Bakshi will oversee talent acquisition strategies, helping Cummins attract top professionals across the region. His expertise in recruitment, employer branding, and workforce planning is expected to strengthen the company’s hiring initiatives and support its growth.

    Before joining Cummins, Bakshi held the position of regional director of learning & development & talent acquisition at Michelin. He managed hiring across India, the middle east, and Africa, with a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

    Bakshi also worked at mastercard, where he played a key role in driving talent acquisition and development strategies.

    At TIBCO Software, Bakshi contributed to enhancing the company’s recruitment and workforce strategies.

    His appointment at Cummins Inc. reflects the company’s ongoing commitment to fostering a skilled and diverse workforce, with Bakshi playing a key role in shaping its recruitment practices.

  • Tata Sons’ N. Chandrasekaran joins IMF’s global advisory council

    Tata Sons’ N. Chandrasekaran joins IMF’s global advisory council

    MUMBAI: Tata Sons Limited chairman, N. Chandrasekaran, has been appointed to the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) managing director’s advisory council on Entrepreneurship and Growth. The council, chaired by IMF managing director Kristalina Georgieva, brings together global experts from business, finance, academia, and policymaking to shape policies that drive innovation and productivity.

    In addition to his role at Tata Sons, Chandrasekaran is also a board member of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). His inclusion in the council reflects his extensive experience in business strategy and economic affairs.

    Meeting quarterly, the council will contribute to the IMF’s policy research, focusing on solutions to address declining global productivity growth. With the world economy facing its slowest medium-term expansion in decades, the council’s expertise will help shape strategies that promote sustainable and inclusive growth across IMF member nations.