Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail (ABFRL) has appointed Suraj Bahirwani as Chief Executive Officer (Designate) for its Pantaloons business, effective April 1, 2026. He will assume full charge as CEO – Pantaloons from October 1, 2026, as part of a phased transition approved by the company’s board.
The appointment follows the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee (NRC), with Bahirwani also designated as Senior Managerial Personnel (SMP) of the company.
Current CEO Sangeeta Tanwani, who also serves as Whole-time Director (WTD) and Key Managerial Personnel (KMP), will continue to lead Pantaloons until September 30, 2026, post which she will take on an advisory role, supporting the Managing Director on strategic matters until her retirement on January 31, 2027.
The leadership reshuffle also highlighted the appointment of Nikhil Modha as CFO-designate, with his elevation to the role slated for January 2027, while current CFO Jagdish Bajaj will continue until the end of 2026 to facilitate the role transition.
Bahirwani has been associated with Aditya Birla ventures for decades, building a diverse portfolio across retail, operations, and global business leadership. Most recently, he served as Senior President and Global Sales Head at Grasim Industries’ Pulp & Fibre business from April 2018 to March 2026, where he led global sales strategy and drove international market expansion.
Prior to this, he was Chief Operating Officer at Pantaloons from February 2016 to March 2018, playing a key role in strengthening the brand’s retail operations.
Before that, he held the position of Chief Operations Officer – Hypermarkets at Aditya Birla Retail from January 2014 to February 2016, after serving as Head – Operations, Hypermarket Format from April 2012 to December 2013 and Head – New Store Opening, Hypermarket Format from March 2011 to December 2013, where he was instrumental in scaling store networks.
Earlier in his career, Bahirwani worked as Regional Head – Hypermarket Operations from 2009–2011 and Zonal Operations Head – Supermarket from April 2007 to April 2009, managing large-format retail operations across regions.
He began his journey with the Aditya Birla Group as Executive Assistant to the Group Chairman (March 2003 to March 2007), after joining as a Group Management Trainee in June 2002, laying the foundation for his long-standing career within the conglomerate.
