Appointments

CEOs, CFOs and CHROs: Global firms unveil new leadership line-up

Samriddhi Srivastava•

|29 September 2025

From luxury and automotive to banking and technology, senior appointments mark a decisive shift in global boardrooms.

Boardrooms around the world are in motion. In the past week alone, global corporations from luxury and automobiles to banking, technology and media have announced a raft of senior appointments. The changes reflect a dual challenge: finding steady hands to navigate economic headwinds while installing leaders with the vision to push growth in new directions. From India’s Tata Motors to Silicon Valley’s Oracle and Europe’s T-Mobile, the appointments underline how companies are rebalancing leadership to align with shifting markets, regulatory pressures and digital disruption.

Managing Director (MD)

Siddharth Suri – Moët Hennessy India

Moët Hennessy India, the wines and spirits arm of French luxury group LVMH, has appointed Siddharth Suri as Managing Director. He will lead the portfolio in India, spanning Dom Pérignon, Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Hennessy, Glenmorangie and Belvedere. Suri brings more than 24 years of experience across PepsiCo, Pernod Ricard, Diageo, Coca-Cola and Moët Hennessy itself, where he previously strengthened the firm’s presence as Sales Director for India and South Asia.

Shailesh Chandra – Tata Motors

Tata Motors has promoted Shailesh Chandra to Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director. Formerly Joint MD of Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles, Chandra has been with the Tata Group since 2013, when he joined Tata Sons as General Manager of Group Strategy. He also serves on the boards of Tata Technologies, Fiat India Automobiles and overseas subsidiaries in Italy and the UK.

Angan Guha – Birlasoft

Birlasoft has reappointed Angan Guha as CEO and MD for two more years, effective 1 December 2025, subject to shareholder and statutory approvals. An electronics engineer from the University of Pune, Guha previously led Wipro’s Americas 2 Strategic Market Unit and served on its Executive Board.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Sumit Jain – Unacademy (Test Prep Business)

Unacademy has appointed Sumit Jain as the CEO of its core Test Prep business. This move comes as other co-founders step back from day-to-day operations to focus on a new language-learning venture.

Srini Gopalan – T-Mobile

T-Mobile has elevated Srini Gopalan to CEO from COO. He has held leadership roles at Unilever India, Accenture, Vodafone, Bharti Airtel and Deutsche Telekom, where he was pivotal in expanding consumer operations across Europe.

Mohit Kabra – MakeMyTrip

MakeMyTrip has promoted Mohit Kabra to Group COO from CFO. With the company since 2015, Kabra has over 20 years of experience at NFCL, Colgate-Palmolive, Pernod Ricard, PepsiCo and Kohler India, and now takes on wider operational responsibility in the competitive travel market.

Sanjay Kumar Sharma – Biodeal Pharmaceuticals

Biodeal Pharmaceuticals has appointed Sanjay Kumar Sharma as CEO. He brings more than three decades of global experience in healthcare and pharma, with a record of scaling operations across developed and emerging markets.

Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)

Garima Garg – Uno Minda

Uno Minda has appointed Garima Garg as Group CHRO. Previously CHRO at ReNew Manufacturing, she has also worked at Deloitte, Korn Ferry, PwC, HSBC and Genpact. An alumna of XLRI Jamshedpur, she holds a postgraduate diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Viral Damania – IndusInd Bank

IndusInd Bank has appointed Viral Damania as CFO. He was previously CFO for Bank of America in India and brings deep expertise in financial management and capital markets.

Michael Sothen – Balavant Insurance Group

Balavant Insurance Group, formed after the spin-out of Tangram Insurance Services, has named Michael Sothen as CFO. The group is backed by private equity firm SkyKnight Capital and aims to build a portfolio of specialty insurance ventures.

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Omeed Kazemi – Balavant Insurance Group

Alongside the CFO appointment, Balavant Insurance Group has named Omeed Kazemi as COO. The dual hires are the first senior appointments under the newly established holding entity following Tangram’s spin-out.

Mohit Kabra – MakeMyTrip

As Group COO, Mohit Kabra will now focus on scaling MakeMyTrip’s operations, drawing on his extensive financial leadership background and understanding of the travel and consumer space.

President

Abhiroop Chuckarbutty – Mondelez International

Mondelez International has named Abhiroop Chuckarbutty as President. With career experience at Unilever and tea business ekaterra, he is expected to strengthen Mondelez’s global portfolio, which includes Cadbury, Oreo and Tang.

Salil Dalal – Bajaj Auto

Bajaj Auto has appointed Salil Dalal as President of its spares business. He moves from Pidilite Industries, where he headed the construction chemicals division, and has earlier worked with Asian Paints, Godrej GE Appliances, Future Group and Nokia.

Vice President (VP)

Shakti Upadhyay – Bajaj Auto

Bajaj Auto has appointed Shakti Upadhyay as Vice President – Brands. Formerly Senior GM and head of marketing and PR at Kia India, he has also worked at Hyundai Motor India, Samsung Electronics and Enterprise Nexus Communications.

Other Senior Appointments

Vinish Mathews – WPP Media

WPP Media has named Vinish Mathews as Head of Team Fulcrum, South Asia. Moving from his role as Chief Strategy Officer at Mindshare India, Mathews has also held positions at The New Indian Express, The Media Edge, Rediffusion Y&R and Essence.

Reshmy Warrier – WPP Media

Reshmy Warrier has been appointed Head of Business Planning and Operations at Mindshare Fulcrum, WPP Media. She joins from Zee5, where she led global content strategy and operations, and has worked at Perfect Relations, Kinetic Worldwide, Mindshare and Star TV.

Indu Gupta Rao – K.P. Energy

K.P. Energy has appointed Dr Indu Gupta Rao as Additional Director (Non-Executive, Independent). With over 30 years of experience in engineering, consultancy and academia in India, the USA and the Netherlands, she holds an MBA, two PhDs and post-doctoral credentials from IIM Ahmedabad.

The breadth of these appointments — spanning luxury goods, automobiles, financial services, pharmaceuticals, media and technology — underscores a period of significant transition in global boardrooms. Companies are prioritising leaders with proven experience in transformation, market expansion and operational discipline. As industries confront economic uncertainty, digital disruption and changing consumer demand, these leadership shifts point to a common theme: a search for stability paired with an appetite for reinvention.

Topics

#Leadership

Author

Samriddhi Srivastava