Mahindra Group announced the appointment of Abanti Sankaranarayanan as Chief Group Public Affairs Officer, where she will be responsible for the Group Public Affairs (National & International), Group Sustainability and Group Risk & Economist Functions. In addition to this, she will be a part of the Group Executive Board and report to Dr Anish Shah, Managing Director and CEO of Mahindra Group.
Abanti will be taking over the Group Public Affairs portfolio from Manoj Chugh, President of Group Public Affairs, who will be retiring on April 1, 2023. Before joining the Mahindra Group, she worked at Diageo India as Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer & member (Executive Committee), where her responsibilities were Public Policy, Regulatory and Trade, Market Access, Corporate Communications, Corporate Social Impact, and Strategy & Venture.
She joined Diageo India in 2010 as Marketing & Innovative leader. Later, she was promoted to Managing Director and led Diageo’s business mandate for international spirits in India.
Speaking about the announcement, Dr. Anish Shah, Managing Director and CEO of Mahindra Group, stated, “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 needs a polished leader to manage multiple stakeholders. We believe that Abanti is an accomplished business leader with vast experience in 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.”
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He also spoke about Manoj Chugh and said, “I would also like to thank Manoj Chugh for his exemplary services to the Mahindra Group. He has been an integral part of our growth journey, contributing significantly to the organization in various roles. I wish him all the best”.
