Aditya Birla Fashion Shakes Up Top Deck; New CFO, Retail Store CEO, Gen Z Head

Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL), the company that runs Pantaloons stores and a clutch of ethnic and luxury fashion brands, announced leadership overhaul on Tuesday. The firm has appointed new heads for its finance function, its flagship retail chain and its newest youth brand.

The biggest change is Nikhil Modha, who has been named the company's next Chief Financial Officer. He will join as CFO-designate on April 1 and take full charge on January 1, 2027. Until then, current CFO Jagdish Bajaj will continue in the role and guide the transition before retiring at year's end.

In a second change, Suraj Bahirwani will take over as the CEO of Pantaloons, ABFRL's largest retail format with over 1,100 stores across India, from October 1. He will join as CEO-designate a full six month earlier, on April 1, working alongside current chief Sangeeta Tanwani, who will steps down on September 30.

The company has also named Italian executive Marco Agnolin as CEO of OWND!, its newly launched Gen Z-focused fashion brand, effective April 6. Launched in September 2025, OWND! is designed for India's young consumers and is part of ABFRL's push into value fashion, with plans to expand to 100 stores.

ABFRL said the moves are part of a "structured succession and transition plan" to ensure continuity at the top.

The reshuffle comes at a pivotal moment for the company. ABFRL recently completed a demerger, spinning off its lifestyle brands into a separate listed entity called Aditya Birla Lifestyle Brands. The firm has since set an ambitious target to triple revenues and double profitability over the next five years, with Pantaloons, ethnic wear, and digital-first brands as its primary growth engines.

In its most recent quarterly results, ABFRL reported a 13% year-on-year revenue increase to ₹1,982 crore, driven by growth across Pantaloons, ethnic wear, and luxury retail.