Restaurant India News: Tilaknagar Industries Names Rajesh Choudhary Chief Financial Officer

Tilaknagar Industries Limited (TI), an Indian-Made Foreign Liquor manufacturer listed on the BSE and NSE, has announced a series of senior leadership changes aimed at strengthening its financial management and governance framework. The company has appointed Rajesh Choudhary, Senior Vice President – Finance and Accounts, as its new Chief Financial Officer, while Abhinav Gupta, the current Chief Financial Officer, has been named Chief of Internal Audit with immediate effect.

In his new role, Abhinav Gupta will be responsible for overseeing risk management, internal controls, and governance processes in line with the company’s strategic direction. He will report functionally to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors and administratively to the Chairman and Managing Director. As Chief Financial Officer, Rajesh Choudhary will lead Tilaknagar Industries’ financial strategy, planning, and governance functions.

Amit Dahanukar, Chairman and Managing Director, Tilaknagar Industries, said, “These leadership transitions reflect Tilaknagar Industries’ focus on strengthening financial stewardship, governance and risk management. Rajesh’s extensive exposure across the finance domain and Abhinav’s deep understanding of the organisation add depth to our leadership team. Their combined expertise will support effective decision-making and strong governance practices.”

Abhinav Gupta holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and has more than 17 years of experience in the finance function. Rajesh Choudhary brings over 29 years of professional experience, including more than 22 years in the alco-bev sector, largely with Pernod Ricard India Pvt Ltd. A Chartered Accountant by qualification, Choudhary has handled responsibilities spanning profit and loss management, financial strategy, integrated business planning, transformation initiatives, risk management, fund raising, and governance. During his tenure at Pernod Ricard India, he held leadership roles across finance and supply chain functions, including pricing strategy, marketing finance, and integrated business planning, and led organisation-wide transformation programmes covering finance digitisation and cross-functional alignment.

“These appointments are aimed at driving the company’s strategic priorities forward through strong governance, effective financial management and lasting long-term value creation”, Dahanukar added.

Alongside these changes, the company has assigned additional responsibilities to Minuzeer Bamboat, currently Company Secretary and Compliance Officer, who will now also serve as Head-Legal and has been re-designated accordingly. Ameya Deshpande, President – Corporate Development and Strategy, has been re-designated as Chief Strategy Officer, while Nishant Jain, President – Sales, will now serve as Chief Sales Officer. Tarun Behl, Vice President – Manufacturing, has been re-designated as Vice President – Manufacturing and Projects, and Sai Amrutkumar Vegisetti, Chief Information Officer, has been included as Senior Management Personnel.

The announcements come shortly after Tilaknagar Industries’ acquisition of Imperial Blue Whisky from Pernod Ricard India Private Limited, expanding its presence in the whisky category, the largest segment in the IMFL market. The brand recorded primary sales of 1.79 million cases in December 2025, marking its first month under the Tilaknagar Industries portfolio.