Grasim Industries appoints ITC’s Sachin Sahay as CEO of Birla Opus Paints

Grasim Industries Ltd has announced the appointment of ITC’s Sachin Sahay as the Chief Executive Officer of Birla Opus Paints. “Sahay has been appointed as CEO of Birla Opus Paints and will be designated as Senior Management Personnel of the company, effective February 16, 2026,” the company said in a regulatory filing.

The appointment comes a few months after the company announced the departure of Rakshit Hargave as CEO of its paints business.

“Following the recommendation of the Company’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee, the Board has approved the appointment of Mr. Sachin Sahay as Chief Executive Officer of Birla Opus Paints and as Senior Management Personnel of the Company, with effect from 16 February 2026,” the filing noted.

Before joining Grasim, Sachin Sahay was associated with ITC, where he most recently held the position of Executive Vice President – Sales. He brings more than three decades of leadership experience in sales and marketing, spanning entrepreneurial roles and multi-geography assignments across India. He has played a significant role in ITC’s FMCG transformation journey, including building and scaling its FMCG channel from a greenfield initiative to a nationwide presence.

Earlier in his career, Sahay has led the launch and expansion of several brands, developed large-scale distribution networks across both urban and rural markets, and steered complex transformation programmes with a strong focus on process discipline and people leadership. He has also been instrumental in implementing field force automation and rationalising common stockist operations across ITC’s diverse portfolio—including cigarettes, foods, and FMCG—enabling more efficient capital deployment and improved partner engagement.