Asian Paints Appoints Ex-JPMorgan Executive Leo Puri As Chairman

Asian Paints Limited, an Indian multinational paint company, has appointed Leo Puri as its chairman marking a transition in Board leadership as competition intensifies in India’s paint industry.

Puri joined the Board as an Additional Independent Director on September 7, 2026, and will assume the Chairman’s role on January 23, 2027. His five-year term will run through September 2031. He will succeed R. Seshasayee, whose second term as an Independent Director ends on January 22, 2027.

Puri has over three decades of experience. He previously served as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (MD & CEO) of UTI Asset Management and held senior positions at JPMorgan, Warburg Pincus and McKinsey. He was also an Independent Director of HUL from 2018 to June 2025, including as Chairman of its Risk Management and ESG Committees.

He currently serves as India Advisory Chairman at Apax Partners; Chairman of Fortis Healthcare; Lead Independent Director at Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories; and a member of the Board of Amadeus IT Group.

a

Magazine made for you.