Brands
Tata Steel elevates Chandan Arunachalam to marketing head
MUMBAI: Tata Steel has elevated Chandan Arunachalam as head of marketing for its Retail and Special Steel businesses, effective February 2026. Based in Mumbai, he will shape the company’s marketing strategy with a sharp focus on brand strength, demand creation, smarter channels and closer ties with distributors, dealers and customers across markets.
The appointment caps a fast rising career at Tata Steel, where Arunachalam has built a reputation for taking on tough assignments and delivering at pace. From stints across the East and West to leading the South as regional sales manager, his journey has covered the length and breadth of the country, and a wide spectrum of the steel business.
In his most recent role as regional sales manager for South India, Arunachalam headed a 0.2 million tonne operation valued at around $200 million. Promoted on a fast track, he was among the youngest leaders to take on a head role, combining people management with high stakes negotiations and market expansion.
Sharing the news, he said he was excited by the new challenge and grateful for the opportunities Tata Steel has offered him so far. Having moved from individual contributor roles to managing large teams and regions, he described the elevation as a natural and energising next step.
An alumnus of IIM Ranchi with a background in mechanical engineering from SRM IST Chennai, Arunachalam joined Tata Steel after an early internship with the company. Over the years, he has blended analytical rigour with on ground sales experience, and even found time to co-found a social initiative focused on community upliftment.
With this elevation, Tata Steel is placing a big bet on a leader who understands both markets and people, and who brings youthful energy to one of its most visible businesses.
Brands
Ekart expands IKEA partnership with EV deliveries in Chennai
3PL to handle 600 plus products with 48 hour delivery via EV fleet.
MUMBAI: Flatpacks are going electric and your sofa might now arrive with a smaller carbon footprint. Ekart has expanded its partnership with IKEA to power last-mile deliveries in Chennai, doubling down on speed, scale and sustainability in one of India’s key urban markets. Under the collaboration, Ekart will manage end-to-end large-format deliveries for IKEA across the city using a 100 per cent dedicated electric vehicle fleet. The move makes Chennai the second major market after NCR-Delhi where Ekart handles IKEA’s last-mile logistics, signalling a broader rollout of EV-led supply chains.
The mandate is no small load. Ekart will oversee deliveries for over 600 products from IKEA’s catalogue, ranging from furniture to home décor—categories that demand specialised handling and precision logistics.
Backed by its technology-driven fulfilment network, Ekart is targeting deliveries within a 48-hour window, offering real-time tracking and end-to-end visibility from warehouse to doorstep. The focus is clear: faster turnarounds without compromising on control or customer experience.
The EV-first model also aligns with both companies’ sustainability goals, as urban logistics increasingly shifts towards zero-emission solutions. For IKEA, which continues to expand its omnichannel presence in India, reliable and eco-conscious last-mile delivery is becoming central to scale.
For Ekart, the partnership reinforces its positioning as an enterprise-grade logistics player in large-format commerce. The company already supports over 1,800 retail, D2C and enterprise brands, spanning last-mile delivery, part-truckload services and warehousing.
As India’s logistics ecosystem evolves, this collaboration highlights a growing trend: delivery is no longer just about distance, it’s about efficiency, experience and increasingly, emissions.
