JSW Paints has announced the elevation of Ashish Rai to Chief Executive Officer – Decorative Paints, effective July 2025.
Ashish, who previously served as Chief Business Officer – Decorative Paints, will now assume full profit and loss responsibility for the division.
This appointment comes at a time when JSW Paints is aggressively expanding its footprint, especially following its landmark acquisition of Akzo Nobel India Ltd (ANIL)—makers of the premium Dulux brand—for ₹8,986 crore.
With this acquisition, JSW Paints is poised to become the fourth-largest paint company in India, with ambitions to break into the top three.
Ashish Rai: A Proven Leader with Global Experience
Ashish Rai brings over two decades of experience across consumer goods, digital transformation, and B2B commerce.
Before joining JSW Paints in 2024, Ashish spent 18 years at Unilever, where he held senior leadership roles across India, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
His notable achievements include:
- Leading digital initiatives across 23 markets, managing a €16 billion business
- Spearheading efforts to digitize small retail operations
- Serving as Managing Director of Unilever Nepal Limited
- Driving transformation in modern trade, key accounts, and retail strategy
Ashish began his career as a software engineer at Infosys, later transitioning to FMCG sales at Colgate-Palmolive, where he worked in regional sales and account management.
Strategic Role in the Growth Ambitions of JSW Paints
Ashish Rai has led sales and marketing operations for JSW Paints’ decorative paints segment since joining the company.
His leadership has helped strengthen market presence and accelerate the brand’s growth in a competitive industry.
Ashish Rai’s elevation to CEO is viewed as a strategic step to strengthen leadership within JSW Paints.
It aims to boost performance in the decorative paints segment, which plays a key role in the company’s expansion plans.
The company’s decorative paints division is expected to play a critical role in leveraging the synergies with Dulux, targeting both mass-market and premium segments.
While Dulux will focus on metro and Tier I/II cities, JSW Paints will continue to expand in value-driven markets.
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