Brands
Kotak Mahindra Bank CTO Bhavnish Lathia exits within a year of taking charge
Tech chief steps down for personal reasons as lender reshuffles digital leadership
MUMBAI: Kotak Mahindra Bank’s chief technology officer Bhavnish Lathia has stepped down less than a year after taking the role, marking yet another leadership churn in the private lender’s technology ranks as banks double down on digital muscle.
In a regulatory filing, the bank said Lathia resigned for personal reasons, with the board accepting his exit on 9 February 2026—his last working day. Lathia is relocating to the US, according to the disclosure.
Lathia, part of the bank’s senior management, had assumed the CTO role in March 2025. His departure follows that of predecessor Milind Nagnur, a Silicon Valley veteran who quit in January 2025 after a little over two years in the job.
Kotak has named Nilesh Chaudhari as the new chief technology officer, the same filing showed.
A customer-experience technologist
Lathia joined Kotak in 2022 as chief of customer experience and head of technology for the consumer bank, overseeing service quality and customer experience across channels. After nearly three years in that role, he was elevated to CTO.
Known as Nish among colleagues, he brings over 25 years of global experience spanning technology, product and customer-focused roles. He is a former Amazon executive, having spent nearly 18 years there across product management, ecommerce, marketing, engineering and analytics, largely focused on sharpening customer experience.
After Amazon, he moved to Valo Health as chief product officer, leading engineering, machine learning and product management.
Days before his resignation, Bloomberg reported Kotak was planning to hire around 500 engineers from large technology firms, with Lathia playing a key role in that talent push.
Market reaction
Shares of Kotak Mahindra Bank traded higher after the disclosure. The stock was at Rs 432.10, up Rs 3.35 or 0.78 per cent. It opened at Rs 432, touched a high of Rs 432.10 and a low of Rs 428.80, against a previous close of Rs 428.75. The 52-week high stands at Rs 460.31 and the low at Rs 378.98. The volume-weighted average price was Rs 430.23.
Lathia’s exit comes at a time when banks are racing to upgrade technology stacks, strengthen digital services and woo customers through slicker platforms. In that contest, stability at the top matters.
At Kotak, the message is becoming familiar: in the digital banking race, the code must keep running—even when the coders change.
Brands
Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds to open 25 stores in Q1 FY26 expansion
Push into Tier 2 cities and metros to take total footprint past 85 stores
MUMBAI: Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds has kicked off the new financial year with an ambitious retail push, announcing plans to launch 25 new stores in the first quarter of FY26 across metros and high-growth Tier 2 markets.
With this expansion, the brand’s total retail footprint is set to cross 85 stores nationwide, reinforcing its early-mover advantage in India’s fast-growing lab grown diamond segment. The move reflects a broader shift in consumer preferences, where aspirational buying is increasingly aligned with sustainability and value.
The company said the expansion is aimed at deepening its presence beyond major cities and tapping into emerging demand centres, as lab grown diamonds gain wider acceptance among Indian consumers.
Commenting on the development, Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds founder and managing director Pooja Madhavan said, “Launching 25 stores at the very start of the financial year is a strong signal of how the category is evolving. As pioneers, we are not just expanding retail, we are shaping consumer mindsets towards smarter, more sustainable luxury.” She added that the brand’s long-term goal is to scale to 200 stores while making the category accessible to modern Indian buyers.
From an execution standpoint, the company is focusing on building depth in high-potential markets rather than just expanding its footprint. Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds director retail expansion Karamjyot Singh Chawla said, “Every new store is a step towards creating a truly national footprint with consistent, premium experiences,” highlighting the role of supply chain and operational discipline in supporting growth.
On the product side, the brand is strengthening its merchandising capabilities to keep pace with rising demand. Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds co-founder and director of inventory and merchandise Nirav Bhatt said the focus is on building an agile supply system that keeps designs relevant and responsive to consumer trends.
Meanwhile, scaling operations sustainably remains a priority. Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds co-founder and director production and finance Kalpan Dalal said the company is investing in efficient production and financial discipline to support long-term expansion.
The retail rollout is backed by an omni-channel strategy, franchise partnerships and continued investment in design innovation and consumer education. Each store is designed to deliver a consistent, premium experience aligned with the brand’s positioning around transparency and modern luxury.
With a roadmap to reach 200 stores by 2027, Limelight is betting big on both scale and sentiment, aiming to carve out a larger share of India’s evolving fine jewellery market.
