Mr Ahuja will be taking over the reigns amidst hectic activities following the recent alliance with Gesco Corporation and a hostile takeover threat in the backdrop.

Commenting on the overall strategy and vision for the company, Mr Ahuja said: "I want to make Mahindra a strong quality brand in real estate, property and infrastructure sector."

He further added that he is looking forward to the new assignment as it is a challenging one. "Earlier, I used to look more into operations, sales etc. Now I have to see a complete spectrum of affairs and decide from a holistic perspective," said Mr Ahuja.

According to company sources, Mr Ahuja's appointment as CEO happened in September last year - much before the Abhishek Dalmia offer to takeover Gesco and the Mahindras sewing an alliance with the Sheths to counter the threat that was looming large. Mr Ahuja, who is officially taking over as CEO today, was kept well informed about the goings on regarding the strategies to counter the threat looming large, sources said.

Mr Ahuja, an IIM from Ahmedabad, had a long stint of over 15 years in Modi Xerox and he resigned from the company as executive director, Channel Supplies and Marketing. In addition to a strong hold on marketing, Mr Ahuja is also said to be a team leader with a thrust on people management. This quality is likely to be extended towards the new combine as Gesco Corporation, which has 1.6 million square feet of project-management jobs under construction, also boasts of capability in people management.

Gesco's employee strength is 80 and the company claims to have the lowest attrition rate in the industry. Gesco Corporation specialises in project management of real estate and claims to have put in a thousand years of man-hours. However, it is still not known as to who will head the Mahindra-Sheth combine, which has six directors on board.