Mahindra Group Appoints Ruzbeh Irani as Chief Group Communications & Ethics Officer

Mahindra Group Appoints Ruzbeh Irani as Chief Group Communications & Ethics Officer

Mumbai, April 7, 2014: The US$ 16.7 billion Mahindra Group has appointed Ruzbeh Irani as Chief Group Communications & Ethics Officer, from April 1 this year. Ruzbeh is also a member of the Mahindra Group Executive Board.

Commenting on the appointment, Mr. Anand Mahindra, Chairman, Mahindra Group, said: “Communication plays a vital role in building the Mahindra brand on the global stage, and in strengthening our internal culture. It is especially crucial, given the Mahindra Group’s aspiration of joining the ranks of the Top 50 most admired global brands by 2021.”

Ruzbeh's strategic orientation and international credentials bring enormous value to this role in which he will work with all Mahindra Group businesses to develop and strengthen their communications strategy and execution on a global scale. In addition, as the Chief Ethics Officer of the Group, he is also responsible for infusing and maintaining the highest standards of ethics and corporate governance across Mahindra.

This appointment follows the retirement of Ms. Roma Balwani from the Group on March 31, 2014. Roma led the Communications function for close to nine years at Mahindra.

Ruzbeh joined the Mahindra Group in March 2007, as Executive Vice President – Corporate Strategy. He was responsible for strategy formulation and monitoring across the Group. In 2009, he was also appointed Chief Brand Officer, and was instrumental in spearheading the work on the Group’s brand position and core purpose, ‘Rise’. 

Ruzbeh subsequently led Mahindra’s entry into MotoGP - the World Motorcycle Racing Championship, making Mahindra the first Indian two-wheeler manufacturer to participate on the world stage, in motorcycle racing. He was appointed to the Mahindra Group Executive Board in 2010. In February 2012, he was appointed as Chief Executive - International Operations, where he was responsible for spearheading Mahindra's efforts to build its global presence, for the Automotive and Farm Equipment businesses.

After completing his Bachelors degree in Commerce from Bombay University, Ruzbeh went on to receive his Masters in Management Studies from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai. He is an alumnus of the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School. At Mahindra, Ruzbeh has leveraged his cross-cultural experience when he co-led the Mahindra Global Recruits Program, through which Mahindra annually recruits from Ivy League campuses in the US.

Ruzbeh is an avid jogger, and a sports enthusiast. He enjoys watching football. His interest in sports has permeated his work-life, where he led Mahindra’s participation in football (the Mahindra Youth Football Challenge partnering with the Celtic Football Club) and basketball (the Mahindra NBA Challenge, partnering with the NBA). Ruzbeh lives in Mumbai with his wife, Madhavi. They have two sons.