

ITC veteran Sachin Sahay frontrunner in CEO race at Birla Opus
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Mumbai: Sachin Sahay, executive vice-president—sales operations at ITC Ltd, has emerged as the frontrunner to take over as chief executive officer of the Aditya Birla Group-backed Birla Opus, the disruptor in India’s ₹70,000-crore paints market, according to two people aware of the development. Sahay is set to succeed Rakshit Hargave, who stepped down as the chief executive in November 2025.
Birla Opus did respond to Mint’s queries sent on 8 January on Sahay’s likely appointment as the new chief executive officer. Sahay did not respond to Mint's calls, messages and emails on the new position. ITC also did not respond to Mint’s queries on 13 January.
Sahay spent over 23 years at ITC, having started his career as a brand manager in 2002 and has held the current position for the past nine years. In this position, Sahay has led the company's pan-India sales for the cigarettes and FMCG businesses, overseeing sales strategy and execution, distributor and field force management, data analytics, and channel strategy. Sahay, an alumnus of SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies in Mumbai, will step in at a critical juncture for the paints industry, with incumbents battling to defend their market share amid a mixed demand environment.
After decades of relative stability, the paints industry witnessed a significant disruption over the past year. Deep-pocketed conglomerates have entered the market, starting with the Aditya Birla Group launching Birla Opus in 2024. This was followed by JSW Paints acquiring Dutch major Akzo Nobel’s India business.
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