MAM
Sri Lankan Airlines partners EFLI
MUMBAI: Sri Lankan Airlines has tied up with the Elite Football League of India (EFLI) as the airline partner of the professional American football league.
As part of the deal, Sri Lankan Airlines will fly down the Indian and Pakistani teams and their American coaches and medical teams to ensure the success of the event.
Sri Lankan Airlines chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe said, “With this partnership a new chapter unfolds in Sri Lanka’s field of sports with American Football League being played here for the very first time and even more significantly the first ever such tournament to be played in South Asia, of which I am certain will dazzle the sports loving Lankans and our neighbors in the sub-continent.
Eight teams will take part, five of which are from India, two from Sri Lanka and one from Pakistan which will see over 180 players in action.
Ten Sports will telecast later all the 31 matches that the first season for the EFLI will have. The tournament will be held from 25 July-25 August in Sri Lanka.
EFLI co-CEO Richard Whelan said, “This new relationship with Sri Lankan Airlines is a significant achievement for the EFLI. Team EFLI is delighted and very appreciative that Sri Lankan Airlines, such a powerful and winning organization has agreed to unite with the EFLI. The EFLI platform through Ten Sports is a perfect communication highway to reach Sri Lankan’s target audience at very reasonable rates.”
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.
