Hires & Promotions: Mahindra, Mirum, Applied Materials

Quick look at new hirings, promotions and people movements this week

Mahindra Group appoints Abanti Sankaranarayanan as Chief Group Public Affairs Officer, joining the Group Executive Board

Mahindra Group has named Abanti Sankaranarayanan as Chief Group Public Affairs Officer effective July 1, 2022. In this role, Abanti will lead Group Public Affairs (India & international), Group Sustainability and the Group Risk & Economist functions. Abanti will be a part of the Group Executive Board reporting to Dr. Anish Shah, Managing Director and CEO, Mahindra Group.

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.

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. 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 organisation in his various roles. I wish him all the best.”

Prior to joining the Mahindra Group, Abanti was Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer & Member – 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 Marketing and Innovation leader in 2010 and was subsequently promoted to Managing Director, Diageo India Pvt Ltd, leading Diageo’s business mandate for international spirits in India. She assumed the role of Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Director for the region in 2015, setting up these new functions as core and strategic to the business and a strong and integrated business partner to the rest of the company.


Mirum hires Sooraj Keswani to head Brand Management & Strategy

Mirum has brought onboard industry veteran Sooraj Keswani as the Director of Brand Management & Strategy. He comes with 3 decades of experience and has worked with the likes of Indian Express, Madison, Concept Communications and Hansa Cequity.

Sooraj is a key hire and will be part of the leadership team at Mirum. He will play an active role in managing brand planning and client servicing divisions. In this role, he will be responsible for partnering with clients and helping them achieve their business growth objectives.

Sooraj will be based out of Mumbai office and will report to the Joint CEO Hareesh Tibrewala.

Welcoming Sooraj onboard, Hareesh said, “Sooraj brings with him a mix of business, brand and digital experience to the table. His primary responsibility will be to ensure client success, across the gamut of digital solutions and services that Mirum provides to its clients. He will also be responsible for mentoring and managing the brand planning and account management teams.”


Sarika Rath joins Applied Materials India as Head – Comms & Public Affairs

Sarika Rath has joined Applied Materials India as Head – Communications and Public Affairs.

Prior to this, Rath was associated with Firstsource Solutions Limited Brand, Communications and PR specialist.

Rath is an astute professional with over 20 years of robust experience in global work environments across areas of Branding, Communications and Marketing. Extensive domain knowledge and expertise in leadership and employee communications, content strategy and creation, media strategy and relations, social media strategy and content, and corporate marketing.

Throughout her career, Rath has contributed to numerous organisations such as Accenture, IBM India, Tishman Speyer and Hanmer Partners.



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