Greaves Cotton Limited has announced the appointment of Manish Poddar as Group Chief Financial Officer, effective March 19, 2026. In his new role, Mr Poddar will be responsible for leading the company’s Finance and Information Technology functions and supporting the organisation’s Greaves.NEXT strategy, which focuses on building sustainable growth across the Energy, Mobility and Industrial Solutions sectors.
Mr Poddar will succeed Akhila Balachandar, who will be stepping down from the role after contributing significantly to strengthening the company’s financial framework. She will be pursuing new professional opportunities after her tenure with the organisation.
With more than 25 years of experience in financial leadership, strategy and corporate governance, Mr Poddar brings extensive expertise across multiple industries. A qualified Chartered Accountant, he has held senior leadership positions in several organisations where he played a key role in driving financial transformation and strengthening business performance.
Prior to joining Greaves Cotton, Mr Poddar served in leadership roles at Greencell Mobility, GMM Pfaudler Ltd and Diversey. In these roles, he contributed to improving financial performance, supporting strategic growth initiatives and building strong governance systems. His professional background includes working closely with both promoter-led companies and private equity-backed organisations, including those supported by Bain Capital and Chrys Capital.
Announcing the appointment, Parag Satpute, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Greaves Cotton Limited, said the company is entering an important phase of expansion guided by the Greaves.NEXT strategy. Mr Satpute noted that Mr Poddar’s financial expertise and strategic perspective will play an important role as the company continues to expand its portfolio and strengthen its long-term value creation for stakeholders. He added that the leadership team looks forward to working with Mr Poddar to support the company’s growth ambitions across multiple business segments.
Mr Satpute also acknowledged the contribution of Akhila Balachandar during her tenure as Group Chief Financial Officer. He said her leadership helped reinforce the company’s financial discipline and operational structure, and thanked her for her commitment to the organisation. Satpute wished her success as she moves forward to the next phase of her professional career.
Greaves Cotton Limited is one of India’s long-established engineering companies with a legacy spanning more than 165 years. The company has evolved into a diversified engineering organisation delivering technology-driven and sustainable solutions across multiple industries.
Its long-term growth strategy focuses on strengthening its existing core businesses while expanding into new opportunities in emerging sectors. The company’s business areas currently span energy solutions, mobility technologies and industrial engineering systems.
Greaves Cotton is widely recognised for its precision engineering capabilities and its role in advancing accessible mobility technologies. The company is among India’s largest manufacturers of single-cylinder diesel engines and was also among the early companies to introduce such engines for microcar applications in European markets.
Over the years, Greaves has also maintained a strong association with India’s defence sector. Its engineering products support a range of defence and naval applications, reflecting the company’s long-standing contribution to industrial development and national capability building.
The company’s business ecosystem also includes several investee ventures that are focused on future mobility solutions. Greaves Electric Mobility Limited offers a portfolio of electric two- and three-wheelers designed for passenger and cargo mobility. Meanwhile, Greaves Finance Limited operates ev.fin, a dedicated non-banking financial company that focuses exclusively on financing electric vehicles and enabling wider EV adoption in India.
Guided by its purpose of “Empowering Lives,” Greaves Cotton aims to deliver reliable products, efficient technologies and customer-focused engineering solutions. Through continued innovation and investment in emerging technologies, the company seeks to support businesses, communities and industries in building a more sustainable and energy-efficient future.
