New Delhi: Grasim Industries Ltd has appointed industry veteran Sachin Sahay as Chief Executive Officer of Birla Opus Paints, the company said in a regulatory filing on Monday. The appointment takes effect from February 16, 2026, and follows approval by the board based on the recommendation of its nomination and remuneration committee.
Sahay joins Birla Opus from ITC Ltd, where he most recently served as Executive Vice President – Sales. He brings over 30 years of leadership experience in sales and marketing, with a strong track record in driving brand launches, scaling distribution networks across urban and rural markets, and leading transformation initiatives in fast-moving consumer goods and related sectors.
The leadership change comes after the departure of former Birla Opus CEO Rakshit Hargave in late 2025, who stepped down after shaping the paints venture through its foundational and early growth phase. During his tenure, Birla Opus established multiple integrated manufacturing facilities and built a wide distribution footprint.
Grasim’s decorative paints arm, launched as part of the Aditya Birla Group’s strategy to capture a share of India’s rapidly expanding paints market, has been scaling operations with significant capacity additions and dealer network expansion since its debut. The sector is intensely competitive, with established players such as Asian Paints, Berger Paints, Kansai Nerolac and others vying for market share.
Grasim Industries did not immediately respond to a request for comment beyond the regulatory disclosure. The company has previously indicated ambitious medium-term growth plans for its paints business as it seeks to leverage group scale and synergies to challenge incumbents in one of India’s largest decorative paints markets.