Grasim Industries on Friday named Sachin Sahay as the new chief executive officer of its paints business, Birla Opus. Sahay, currently executive vice president – sales operations and development at ITC, will join on February 16.
An ITC veteran, who has spent 23 years at the firm, his appointment comes more than two months after the textiles and chemicals manufacturer announced former CEO Rakshit Hargave’s departure on the same day when Britannia announced Hargave was taking over as its CEO. Hargave eventually took over as MD & CEO of Britannia in December.
Market Expansion Strategy
Since its launch in February 2024, Birla Opus has invested heavily in paint factories across India as well as offered hefty discounts, gaining ground mainly at the expense of market leader Asian Paints.
2026 is expected to be a decisive year for paints as incumbents such as Asian Paints and Berger look to claw back after a tough 2025 that was marked by weak demand competition and tough competition from new players such as Birla Opus.
Extensive Sales Experience
Sahay, who will take charge of India’s second-largest paints maker by capacity, is expected to bring his vast experience in building distribution and sales models to bear at his new job. He has held multiple senior roles spanning brand management, sales and marketing, managing large teams and driving profit growth.
Sahay is widely credited with playing a key role in ITC’s FMCG transformation, helping the conglomerate expand beyond its legacy tobacco business into packaged foods and personal care. Sahay was also an early contributor to ITC’s rural sourcing and distribution platform eChoupal, one of the company’s most prominent digital initiatives linking farmers to markets.
Earlier in his career, Sahay served as marketing manager for ITC’s tobacco business, where he led consumer engagement initiatives across digital media and technology, as well as the development of HoReCa and travel retail channels, according to industry sources.