Grasim channels next-generation members to its board

Grasim Industries Limited has inducted Ananya Birla and Aryaman Vikram Birla as directors to the company’s board. Ananya and Aryaman Vikram Birla, are the children of Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. The move ushers the new board entrants into the strongholds of one of the largest global conglomerates in India. The new entry is in addition to the brother and sister’s recent initiations as directors on the Aditya Birla Management Corporation Pvt. Ltd. board, the apex body providing strategic guidance to the Aditya Birla Group’s businesses, and into the board of Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd (ABRFL) as additional non-executive directors. According to Kumar Mangalam, Ananya and Aryaman will add dynamism and energy to the group’s rich entrepreneurial traditions, sustaining stakeholder value. Ananya is a businesswoman and a platinum-selling artist. She kick-started her business journey at 17 years with Svatantra Microfin Pvt Ltd, one of India’s fastest-growing MFIs (Microfinance Institutions), with a CAGR of 120% (2015-2022). She is the founder of the home decor brand Ikai Asai, has co-founded Mpower, and is the founder of the Ananya Birla Foundation, pioneering research in mental health and social impact. Aryaman Vikram has diverse experiences across entrepreneurship, VC investing, and professional sport. He has been championing the group’s foray into new-age businesses, including premium casual dining space in collaboration with chef-restaurateur Rahul Akerkar, under the Aditya Birla New Age (ABNA) enterprise.

Chaitanya Sarawate

Sarawate to spearhead Wipro GE Healthcare

Chaitanya Sarawate takes over as MD, Wipro GE Healthcare and as President & CEO, GE Healthcare South Asia. He succeeds Shravan Subramanyam, who will pursue an opportunity outside the company. Sarawate will report to Elie Chaillot, President, and CEO, of GE Healthcare Intercontinental, effective February 13, 2023. He will work closely with Subramanyam to transition into his new role. Wipro GE Healthcare, a medical technology, diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, has elevated Sarawate’s position. It is expected to strengthen the company’s market leadership across South Asia, drive its localisation strategy, deliver clinical access, and provide precision care. Sarawate brings 12+ years of corporate and healthcare experience, having spent 12 years with GE Healthcare. Currently, he is the Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer for ASEAN, Korea, Australia and New Zealand (AKA), with GE Healthcare as he transitions into his new role. He has been steering organisational transformation, driving visibility, increasing empowerment, and through segment specialisation. Wipro GE Healthcare is a joint venture between GE Healthcare, USA, and Wipro Enterprises, India, established in 1990. It is considered one of the longest-running JVs in South Asia, with operations across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan. Sarawate holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business, a Master in Pharmacy degree from the University of Illinois Chicago, and a B Pharm degree from the University of Mumbai.

Ravi Kumar S

Ravi Kumar replaces Brian Humphries as Cognizant CEO

Former Infosys veteran Ravi Kumar S will take charge as CEO of Cognizant, replacing Brian Humphries, who will remain with the company as a special advisor until March 15, 2023. Ravi Kumar has also been inducted as a board member with immediate effect. Kumar was previously announced to have taken over as the President of Cognizant Americas, but with the underlying CEO transition, the company has named Surya Gummadi as the President of Cognizant Americas. Kumar has had 20 years of association with Infosys, where he held various leadership roles, most recently serving as President from January 2016 through October 2022. He led the Infosys Global Services Organization across all global industry segments, driving its digital transformation services into consulting, technology and engineering services, data and analytics, cloud and infrastructure, and enterprise package applications service lines. As per the regulatory filing, Ravi Kumar has the potential to make nearly $7 million in annual compensation as CEO of Cognizant, including other equity awards, subject to certain performance-related metrics and stockholder return. Kumar has been offered an annual base salary of $1 million. He is slated to receive an annual cash incentive compensation with a target of 200 per cent of his annual base (up to $2 million) as per the terms of the company’s annual cash incentive compensation plan. He is an alumnus of Shivaji University (Bachelor’s degree in Chemical engineering) and the Xavier Institute of Management.

David Reed

Vedanta appoints David Reed as CEO, semiconductor

The Mumbai-based oil-to-metals conglomerate Vedanta Ltd. has roped in David Reed as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of its semiconductor business. Reed will be responsible for setting up the Anil Agarwal-led Vedanta’s state-of-the-art semiconductor fabrication unit and a semiconductor assembling and testing unit in India. The company plans to invest US $ 20 billion in manufacturing chips for mobile phones to laptops, and Reed, an industry veteran, is expected to steer its ambitious plans. Reed was previously the Executive Vice President at NXP Semiconductors and General Manager of global operations at GlobalFoundries Inc. Reed, an industry veteran of 35 years in the semiconductor sector, brings in international experience and knowledge, having worked across multiple geographies, including the U.S., Germany, Japan, and Singapore. Reed moved to NXP when it merged with American Freescale Semiconductor in 2015. Before that, Reed was Vice President and General Manager at GlobalFoundries, a semiconductor contract manufacturing company. He received his undergraduate degree from Austin College, a Chemical Engineering degree from Texas A&M University, and an MBA from the University of Dallas. Reed will be instrumental in setting up Vedanta’s and India’s first semiconductor fabrication unit, a display fabrication unit, and a semiconductor assembling and testing unit in Gujarat. The semiconductors will be manufactured in a joint venture with Foxconn, the Taiwanese electronics company. Vedanta has a joint venture with Foxconn, holding a 63 % interest with the Taiwanese company. The company has earmarked up to US $ 20 billion for its semiconductor business, with plans to invest US $ 15 billion in the first 10 years.

Sumithasri Eranti

Sumithasri Eranti is Chairperson, Schaeffler India

Sumithasri Eranti takes charge as the new Chairperson of Schaeffler India, the automotive and industrial supplier company. She succeeds Avinash Gandhi following his retirement, having led the company for 20+ years. Eranti is expected to drive Schaeffler India’s growth and success, and under her guidance, the company aims to focus on innovation and excellence. She has been an independent director with the board of Schaeffler India Limited since 2020. Eranti brings 25+ years of experience across business leadership, technology, consulting, and financial services industry, to her new role. She has played multiple roles in technology companies in global service portfolio leadership, CXO collaboration, large account management, business consulting, P&L ownership, and product development. Her multicultural work experiences span 11 countries, including India, Germany, the US, the UK, and the Netherlands. She is also the Chairperson and a board member at Aviva Life Insurance company India Limited and has been associated with other companies as a board member. Her appointment is a significant milestone in promoting diversity and inclusion across the organisation. She is an alumnus of the University of Connecticut (UCONN) and the University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering (BE Computer Science).

Preemita Singh

Preemita Singh joins Havells India as CHRO and EVP

Preemita Singh takes over as the CHRO and EVP of Havells India, effective February 2023. She has extensively worked on HR transformations in her 20+ years of rich and diverse experience leading HR across BFSI, IT, and consulting sectors. She brings to the fore organisation design and restructuring, integration of HR practices in M&A situations, and designing progressive HR policies across diverse corporations. Her HR transformation acumen involved building productivity, leadership, nurturing capability, enabling a learning culture, and driving transformation through effective HR technology. Before joining Havells, Preemita was the CHRO with Hero FinCorp from September 2019 to January 2023. She has had previous corporate stints with ICRA, Max Life, EY, and Thermax across multiple roles and capacities. She is an alum of the Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies.

Monika Marwah

BluePi ropes in former Amazon India exec as HR Director

Gurugram-based BluePi Consulting (BluePi), specialists in data-driven solutions, has appointed Monika Marwah as its new HR Director. Monika was the Manager of MBA and Non-Tech Recruiting, APAC Students Programme at Amazon India. Monika will drive BluePi’s human resource functions, aligning them with its business strategies. She will be responsible for HR and recruitment strategy, talent management, employee relations, and performance management, including training and development. Monika is known for her passion for building a working culture, focusing on talent and leadership, organisation-led vision and values, engagement and inclusivity, productivity, and costs. She brings 15+ years of diverse HR experience across leadership and management positions at global levels. She brings her vast experience across Indian multinational companies in the IT, retail, pharma, BFSI, and telecom domains. Before Amazon, Monika had previous stints with NCR Corporation as the University Hiring Leader for Asia Pacific and Japan. Her other HR leadership stints include those with Panacea Biotech, Star Worldwide Group, and Uninor. She has co-authored the book - Workplace Romance & Its Perils.

Manu Jain

Manu Jain quits Xiaomi

Manu Jain, Global Vice President and former head of its Indian operations, has quit the Chinese electronics manufacturer. Manu has been considered the poster boy for the company’s India operations and has helped scale the business in India. He announced his exit after completing a 9- year stint with the company. Jain has not divulged his reasons for exiting the company. However, market watchers say that Jain has been pitching investors ideas for an EV startup for several months, as per Jain’s interactions with several industry figures for several quarters. According to people in the know, he had indicated his plans to leave the venture. Instrumental for Xiaomi’s growth in India, he was one of the founding members of the India team, which included former Google executive Hugo Barra. He donned a greater global role in Xiaomi, alongside his India position when Barra quit the company in 2017. Jain joins a long list of top-level executives who have been departing the Chinese maker’s local unit. Jain joined the Xiaomi Group in 2014 as a one-person startup, working from a small office. “We were the smallest amongst the hundreds of smartphone brands, that too with limited resources and no prior relevant industry experience,” said Jain in a statement. In a tweet, Jain said he would “take some time off” and hinted at the possibility of starting his venture. His previous stint includes his role as managing director at Jabong, a lifestyle e-commerce firm he co-founded with Praveen Sinha and Arun Chandra Mohan. He is a B-Tech in mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta.

Aanandita Datta

Pizza Hut ropes in Unilever’s former Global Director

Pizza Hut India (Yum! Brands) has appointed Aanandita Datta as Chief Marketing Officer and will work closely with Merrill Pereyra, Managing Director, Pizza Hut India Subcontinent. Aanandita succeeds Neha, elevated to Pizza Hut’s Global team as Senior Director, Marketing, relocated in Dallas. Aanandita will be responsible for Yum! Brands’ marketing and branding aspects to transform Pizza Hut into an everyday brand by making it accessible to a wider and more youthful market. Plans are also to expand into new markets, ensure competitive value, and implement distinctive marketing initiatives. She is a marketing veteran with 17 years of experience and was the Global Director with Unilever, based out of Rotterdam in the Netherlands. She brings in her experiences across global brand equity, brand purpose and positioning, core strategy, innovations, and communication development, gained during her stint at Unilever. Aanandita has had previous stints with globally renowned FMCG brands, including Lipton, Kissan, Taaza at Unilever, Horlicks, and Sensodyne at Glaxo SmithKline Consumer Health Care and Whirlpool refrigerators. She is an alumnus of the SVKM’s Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) and St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.