Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited is steering a structured leadership transition across its fashion platforms, signaling a fresh wave of strategy execution. The board has appointed Suraj Bahirwani as CEO (Designate) for Pantaloons and Senior Management Personnel, effective April 1, 2026, with a planned elevation to CEO – Pantaloons and SMP from October 1, 2026. The move aligns with a staged handover that the company describes as a planned succession, designed to preserve continuity while injecting new commercial energy into Pantaloons’ growth engine. As part of the shift, Sangeeta Tanwani will oversee the transition, continuing as CEO – Pantaloons and WTD & KMP through September 30, 2026, and thereafter advise the Managing Director on strategic matters from October 1, 2026 until her retirement on January 31, 2027.
In parallel, ABFRL announced executive appointments across its portfolio: Marco Agnolin is named CEO – OWND! with effect from April 6, 2026, bringing his global fashion-retail leadership to the company’s upstart online venture. The appointment emphasizes the group’s push to diversify its digital and omnichannel footprint. On the financial side, Nikhil Modha has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer (Designation) and SMP from April 1, 2026, with formal CFO & KMP duties following from January 1, 2027; Jagdish Bajaj will guide a phased transition and retire at the close of business on December 31, 2026.
The leadership reshuffle reflects ABFRL’s broader strategy of succession planning across core brands and platforms, ensuring smooth governance while accelerating performance across Pantaloons and OWND!. The company notes that the changes are part of a deliberate, long-term leadership roadmap, supported by a strong governance framework and a focus on sustaining growth as ABFRL expands its footprint in fashion retail.