
Manish Poddar To Succeed Akhila Balachandar As Group CFO Of Greaves Cotton
Manish Poddar has been appointed as the Group Chief Financial Officer and Key Managerial Personnel (GCFO & KMP) of Greaves Cotton Limited, with effect from March 19, 2026. He will succeed Akhila Balachandar, who has resigned from the position of CFO & KMP of the company, citing personal reasons and other priorities, with effect from the above-mentioned date.
Poddar previously served as CFO at GMM Pfaudler Ltd and GreenCell Mobility Pvt. Ltd. He has also held finance leadership roles at Diversey India Hygiene Pvt. Ltd., Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., and Louis Dreyfus Company India. His work has included financial planning, treasury management, governance, and investor engagement across multiple sectors. He has more than 25 years of experience in finance, treasury, investor relations, governance, and business strategy. Poddar is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds an Executive MBA in Finance. He completed his bachelor’s degree from the University of Delhi (DU).
Balachandar served as Chief Financial Officer at Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd., where she led the finance function and managed investor relations for the listed hospitality company. During her career, she has also worked with organisations including Godrej & Henkel, Reliance Health, and Wockhardt. She is a finance professional with over 25 years of experience in business leadership, with more than a decade in CFO roles. Her work has focused on business partnering, governance, risk management, and compliance while supporting growth and financial oversight. Balachandar is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and completed a leadership development programme at Stanford University. She was recognised among the Top 100 CFOs by CFO India in 2021.




