Mahindra Group appoints Abanti Sankaranarayanan as Chief Group Public Affairs Officer

Mahindra Group announced on Friday the appointment of Abanti Sankaranarayanan as Chief Group Public Affairs Officer effective July 1, 2022. She will be taking over the Group Public Affairs portfolio from Manoj Chugh, President, Group Public Affairs, who will be retiring on April 1, 2023.

The group explained that in this position, Abanti will lead group public affairs (India & international), group sustainability and group risk and economist functions. She will also be part of the Group Executive Board reporting to Dr Anish Shah, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Group.

Speaking about the announcement, Dr Anish Shah, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Group, said, "At the Mahindra Group, Public Policy and Sustainability are pivotal and we are committed to leading ESG globally. It is paramount that we engage with all our relevant stakeholders proactively and effectively. This is a diversified role, which needed a seasoned leader to manage multiple stakeholders." 

"Abanti is an accomplished business leader with vast experience across corporate affairs, social impact, strategy and managing large businesses. I am confident that she will be able to build the functions and help us in achieving our goals," Shah added. Shah also thanked Manoj Chugh and wished him "all the best".

About Abanti Sankaranarayanan 

The Mahindra Group noted that prior to joining the firm, Abanti was Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer and Member of the Executive Committee at Diageo India where her responsibilities included public policy, regulatory and trade, market access, corporate communication, corporate social Impact, strategy and ventures.

Abanti joined Diageo India as a marketing and innovation leader in 2010 and was subsequently promoted to Managing Director, Diageo India Pvt Ltd. She assumed the role of Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director for the region in 2015. 

Prior to Diageo, Abanti served as a member of the Tata Administrative Service (TAS) cadre since 1992 in various General Management and Marketing roles, across Tata Global Beverages (India & UK), the Taj Group of Hotels (India & the US), Tata Housing and Tata Finance.

Also read: Anand Mahindra shares a rooster’s tale, leaves netizens guessing the moral of the story

Also read: 2022 Mahindra Scorpio-N interior revealed ahead of launch