MAM
Fiat ropes in three Indians in top management team
MUMBAI: As part of the overall re-engineering of Fiat in India, the company today, announced the appointment of three Indians as part of its top management in the country.
S M Shirodkar, who was responsible for technology will replace Bruno Frate as head of process engineering and maintenance. R Rokade will head production replacing Ruggieri Rosario. The position of Prinsi, CFO, will be split into accounting and controlling and will rest with the managing director ad interim.
This development is in sync with the global re-engineering of the Fiat organisation structure.
Commenting on the appointments, Fiat India Private Limited MD Dr. Paolo Castagna stated, “The business culture and the business processes in India are quite different from the Italian one. On the other end, there is no short-cut to adapt the business practices of a global auto player like Fiat to the Indian peculiarities. Therefore, in order to have the best success and right level of communications between the two realities you need to have a strong Indian management team open to international experience and the international practices of the Fiat group. We believe the Indian management skills are strong enough and needed to be exploited in the correct way. We would like to thank Prinsi, Frate and Ruggieri for their contribution to Fiat operations in India and wish them the best in their future endeavors.”
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.
