Devyani International Appoints Manish Dawar as President and CEO Effective April 2026
CE DESK 
Devyani International elevates CFO Manish Dawar to President & CEO from April 1, 2026, succeeding Virag Joshi amid Sapphire Foods merger and QSR growth plans.
Devyani International Limited (DIL), operator of KFC and Pizza Hut in India, has named Manish Dawar as President and CEO effective April 1, 2026. Dawar, currently CFO and Whole-time Director since 2021, succeeds Virag Joshi, who will transition to Non-Executive Director after superannuation.
With over 30 years of experience from HUL, Reebok, Reckitt, Vedanta, and Vodafone, Dawar has driven DIL’s public listing, Thailand acquisition, Biryani by Kilo turnaround, and the proposed Sapphire Foods merger. He will lead the merged entity, focusing on digital-first strategies for India’s evolving QSR market.
Anupam Kumar steps in as CFO, Neeraj Tiwari as CTO, and Varun Kumar Prabhakar as General Counsel, strengthening operations ahead of the merger. Ravi Jaipuria, Non-Executive Chairman, highlighted this as ideal timing for DIL’s leadership at an inflection point toward consumer-led growth.
Dawar emphasized DIL’s strong brands and tech backbone to deliver long-term value amid rapid consumer shifts. This reshuffle positions Devyani for scale in a competitive QSR landscape.
