Debasish Panda, Deena Asit Mehta & Adesh K. Gupta Appointed As Independent Directors Of Anand Rathi Wealth
Debasish Panda, Deena Asit Mehta, and Adesh Kumar Gupta have been appointed as Non-Executive Independent Directors (Additional Directors) of Anand Rathi Wealth Limited, with effect from January 12, 2026, subject to the approval of shareholders.
Rakesh Rawal has been reappointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Whole-Time Director of the company, effective April 1, 2026, subject to shareholders’ approval.
Panda, an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 1987 batch from Uttar Pradesh cadre, currently serves as Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) since March 14, 2022. Before this role, he retired as Secretary, Department of Financial Services, Ministry of Finance, Government of India, on January 31, 2022. He has also held positions as Joint Secretary (Health & Family Welfare), Additional Secretary, and Special Secretary (Financial Services). In Uttar Pradesh, he served as District Magistrate in Deoria, Tehri, Uttarakashi, and Ghaziabad, as Principal Secretary (Home & Vigilance), and as Resident Commissioner and CEO of the Greater Noida Development Authority. Panda holds a postgraduate degree in physics, a master’s in developmental management, and an M.Phil in environmental sciences, and has received foreign training in public administration in the USA and the Philippines.
Mehta began her career with Crompton Greaves and entered the stock market in 1986, becoming the first woman to trade on the floor, and was admitted as a member of BSE in 1994. She has served on multiple committees at BSE and CDSL, including Vice President and President, contributing to major reforms such as corporatisation and demutualisation. Mehta has over 150 Board years of experience across Indian companies and educational institutions and has received more than 100 awards for her work in finance, governance, and social service. She actively supports social initiatives, including Prempuri Ashram Trust and Kasturba Stree Vikas Gruh. Mehta is a Chartered Accountant (1984), holding a master’s in management (finance), a postgraduate diploma in securities law, and a diploma in stock market studies.
Gupta retired in 2025 after a distinguished career spanning more than three decades at the Aditya Birla Group, holding senior and Board positions in companies including Indian Rayon, Birla Global Finance, Aditya Birla Nuvo Ltd., and Grasim Industries Ltd., where he served as Whole-Time Director and CFO. Post-retirement, he serves as an Independent Director on Boards including Grasim Industries Ltd., Krsnaa Diagnostics Ltd., Krazybee Services Ltd., and Anand Rathi Financial Services. He has also served on the Boards of Care Ratings Ltd and Zee Entertainment Services. Gupta has been recognised with the Best CFO award by ICAI, IMA, and Business Today, and contributed to setting accounting standards in India as a FICCI NACAS member.
Before joining Anand Rathi, Rawal spent eight years with Deutsche Bank, where he served as Vice President in Private Wealth Management. Prior to entering financial services, he held positions at Hindustan Unilever and Ranbaxy Laboratories, gaining experience in diverse business functions. His career spans wealth management, strategic business development, and leadership roles across multiple industries. Rawal is a B. Tech graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and holds an MBA from JBIMS.
