MAM
Cobra Beer wins Gold Medals at Monde Selection 2005
MUMBAI: Indian-brewed Cobra Beer has won Two Gold Medals at the prestigious Monde Selection Awards 2005. The two Gold Medals were awarded to the Mount Shivalik Group in India, who brews Cobra for India.
At this year’s awards in Brussels it won 11 Gold medals which was more than any other beer company entered in this year’s competition. The 15 year old Cobra Beer took home two Grand Gold Medals and nine Gold Medals and two Silver Medals.
Cobra Beer founder and CEO Karan Bilimoria said, “I am delighted by our tremendous showing at this year’s Monde Selection. It is further proof that through our entrepreneurial spirit and innovative approach we are able to punch above our weight and compete against the giants of the industry. These accolades are due in great part to the dedication of our production director Robert Knox, who oversees Cobra’s brewing operations throughout the world. It is thanks to his hard work, at each brewery and with its brewer, that Cobra has maintained world class standards wherever it is brewed.”
Browar Belgia’s bottled Cobra – in 330 ml and 660 ml sizes – took home two Grand Gold Medals, Monde Selection’s highest medal. Cobra Beer has now won four Grand Gold medals in the last two years and is the only British company to have done so.
Of the medals won, eight were awarded to Cobra brewed by Browar Belgia in Poland, including two Gold Medals for Krait Beer – Cobra’s beer for the American market, and two Gold Medals for Cobra’s brand new premium alcohol-free beer, Cobra 0.0% and its American counterpart Krait Free.
British beer brand Cobra Beer has been exported to over 35 countries worldwide. It is available in the UK in more than 6,000 Indian restaurants, major supermarkets and off-licenses and now to nearly 6,000 mainstream bars, pubs and clubs.
Brands
Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail reshuffles top deck; Nikhil Modha to take over as CFO
Phased transition sees Marco Agnolin head OWND!, Nikhil Modha lined up as CFO as company readies next growth leg
MUMBAI: Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail is redrawing its leadership map, lining up a new generation of executives across key roles as it prepares for its next phase of growth.
The company has named Suraj Bahirwani as chief executive (designate) of Pantaloons, effective April 1, 2026, with a full transition to the top role slated for October 1, 2026. He will also be designated as senior managerial personnel.
A two-decade veteran of the Aditya Birla Group, Bahirwani joined as a group management trainee in 2002 and has since held a string of leadership roles across retail and manufacturing. His resume spans stints at Aditya Birla Retail, a tenure as chief operating officer of Pantaloons, and most recently, head of global sales at the group’s cellulosic fibres business, where he drove international expansion and strengthened value-added portfolios.
Academically, he holds a PhD from the University of Mumbai, a postgraduate management diploma from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, and is a chartered accountant. Over the years, he has picked up multiple chairman’s awards, including distinguished achiever, exceptional contributor and accomplished leader.
The transition at Pantaloons will be staged. Incumbent chief executive Sangeeta Tanwani will continue until September 30, 2026, steering the handover before moving into an advisory role to the managing director from October 1, 2026. She is set to retire on January 31, 2027, at which point she will step down as whole-time director and key managerial personnel.
Alongside, the company has brought in Marco Agnolin as chief executive of OWND! and senior managerial personnel, effective April 6, 2026. Agnolin arrives with over three decades of global experience, having held senior roles at Inditex, where he helped expand Zara in Italy, and later served as chief executive of Bershka and Diesel. His track record spans fast fashion, brand turnarounds and youth-focused retail.
On the finance side, Nikhil Modha has been appointed chief financial officer (designate) and senior managerial personnel from April 1, 2026. He will assume full charge as chief financial officer and key managerial personnel from January 1, 2027.
Current chief financial officer Jagdish Bajaj will oversee a phased transition until December 31, 2026, before retiring and stepping down from his roles.
The reshuffle signals a calibrated succession plan rather than a sudden overhaul, with the company staggering exits and appointments to ensure continuity even as it refreshes leadership across verticals.
As Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail juggles legacy brands and new-age formats, the message is clear: steady hands for the present, sharper ones for the future—and no pause in the push for scale.
