MAM
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.
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.
MAM
Time brings TIME100 Next franchise to India with Reliance
List to spotlight 100 emerging leaders, gala set for December 2026 in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: It’s about time India’s next wave got a global spotlight and now, it’s on the list. New York-headquartered Time is expanding its TIME100 Next franchise to India, partnering with Reliance Industries Limited to launch TIME100 Next India, its first international extension of the rising leaders platform. The announcement was made at the Time100 Gala in New York by Jessica Sibley and Nita Mukesh Ambani, signalling a strategic push to tap into India’s growing influence across sectors.
The India edition will recognise 100 emerging leaders from the country and the global Indian diaspora, spanning business, science, sports, arts and social impact. The list will be curated by Time’s editorial team and published online, continuing the franchise’s focus on identifying individuals shaping the future.
The initiative will culminate in a gala event scheduled for December 2026 at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, anchoring the platform within India’s cultural and business ecosystem.
TIME’s broader Time100 franchise has steadily expanded its global footprint since 2021 through events and impact-led initiatives. Executives noted that India’s growing pool of influential voices and innovators made it a natural next step for the platform’s international ambitions.
For Reliance, the partnership aligns with its broader push to support emerging talent and ideas on a global stage. For Time, it marks a timely bet on India not just as a market, but as a talent engine shaping the next chapter of global leadership.
