Archive · 13 Jan 2026
Sachin Sahay frontrunner for Birla Opus CEO
Sachin Sahay, who has worked at ITC for over 23 years, is likely to become the new CEO of Birla Opus, a paint company backed by the Aditya Birla Group.
The current CEO, Rakshit Hargave, left in November 2025.
Birla Opus is a new player in the Indian paints market, which has seen a lot of changes recently.
Big companies are entering the market, and existing ones are fighting to keep their customers.
Sachin Sahay will take over at an important time for the company and the industry.
He has a lot of experience in sales and managing teams, which will be helpful for Birla Opus as it grows.
Sachin Sahay, executive vice-president at ITC, is the frontrunner to become CEO of Birla Opus.
He is set to succeed Rakshit Hargave, who stepped down in November 2025.
Birla Opus has a 10% market share and has invested ₹97.27 billion out of an initial budget of ₹100 billion.
Sahay has over 23 years of experience at ITC, leading sales operations for cigarettes and FMCG businesses.
The paints industry is experiencing significant disruption with new entrants like Birla Opus and JSW Paints.
- Who
- Sachin Sahay, executive vice-president at ITC Ltd
- What
- Potential appointment as CEO of Birla Opus
- When
- Rakshit Hargave stepped down in November 2025
- Where
- Birla Opus, India
- Why
- Leadership transition and market disruption in the paints industry
- Current Position
- Executive Vice-President, ITC Ltd
- Years at ITC
- 23 years
- Current Role Duration
- 9 years
- Birla Opus Market Share
- 10%
- Investment by Birla Opus
- ₹97.27 billion
- Initial Budget
- ₹100 billion
- Manufacturing Plants
- 6 (Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal)