National Collateral Management Service Limited (NCML) has appointed Siraj Chaudhry as its new MD & CEO. Sanjay Kaul, the present MD & CEO, has been appointed as Chairman of the board of directors replacing S B Mathur, who decided to step down from the position due to personal reasons.

A retired Chairman and CEO of agriculture and food products major, Cargill India, Siraj brings with him over three decades of experience. For around 16 years, he had held leadership roles in the Agriculture and Food space.

Prem Watsa, Chairman of Fairfax India Holdings Corporation - an investment holding company having majority ownership interest and management control in NCML stated, “Under the new leadership of Siraj Chaudhry, we look forward to NCML growing rapidly, creating further efficiencies in the country's post-harvest value chain and diversifying with a global outreach.”

He added that the appointment of Sanjay Kaul as Chairman would provide both continuity as well as guidance to the management in its future growth plans.

With more than three decades of experience in the agricultural and food processing sector, Siraj has been instrumental in building businesses involving commodity trading, risk management and food production and distribution across the globe. Chaudhry is also a member of industry associations such as CII, FICCI, AMCHAM, and USIBC. 

Siraj retired as chairman and CEO of Cargill India after serving for 24 years. During his tenure at Cargill, the company pioneered the process of including Vitamins A and D in edible oils in an attempt to address the nutrients’ crisis in India. Chaudhry also happens to be a founding member of the India Food Banking Network that has led to the creation of a chain of food banks across India as well as the United Way of Delhi NCR. His vast experience is something which NCML, a leading organization providing a bouquet of commodity-based services under a single umbrella, will be eagerly looking to leverage as it pursues its growth plans.