CE DESK 
Grasim Industries names ITC veteran Sachin Sahay as Birla Opus Paints CEO effective Feb 16, 2026, bringing 30+ years of FMCG sales leadership to challenge Asian Paints dominance.
Grasim Industries Ltd has appointed Sachin Sahay as Chief Executive Officer of its paints business, Birla Opus Paints, effective February 16, 2026. The move fills the leadership gap created by Rakshit Hargave’s departure in November 2025, signaling stability for the aggressive challenger in India’s competitive decorative paints market.
Sahay joins from ITC Ltd where he served as Executive Vice President – Sales, bringing over three decades of sales and marketing leadership across multiple geographies. At ITC, he played a pivotal role in scaling the FMCG channel from inception to nationwide presence, launching brands, building urban-rural distribution networks, and driving digital transformation through field force automation and stockist optimization.
His appointment comes at a critical juncture for Birla Opus, launched in February 2024 with heavy investments in manufacturing capacity and aggressive pricing to capture share from market leader Asian Paints. As Senior Management Personnel, Sahay will lead market expansion, channel strengthening, and go-to-market strategies in the ₹75,000 crore industry.
Grasim’s board approved the nomination based on recommendations from its Remuneration Committee. Sahay’s proven execution in consumer goods positions Birla Opus to accelerate growth through superior distribution, retailer partnerships, and operational efficiency amid intensifying category competition.
