The company notifies a series of board and senior management changes, including retirements, reappointments and new leadership inductions
Blue Star has reappointed B Thiagarajan as Managing Director for a further term from 1 April 2026, up to 24 May 2027, a day prior to attaining the age of 70 years. Thiagarajan’s tenure was scheduled to be completed on 31 March 2026. Mohit Sud has been appointed as Executive Director, Unitary Cooling Products for a period of five years with effect from 1 April 2026.
The company said in a statement that Sam Balsara, who attained the age of 75 years, will retire on 31 January 2026, after completion of two consecutive terms as an Independent Director. Balsara, Chairman of Madison World joined the Blue Star Board in June 2017 and was reappointed for the second term in June 2022.
Vir S Advani, Chairman and Managing Director stated, “Blue Star is an 82-year-old brand, Sam has played a significant role in our strategic efforts to make it stronger, youthful and relevant to the new generation consumers as well as tier 3-4-5 markets. His marketing insights helped the company to gain market share year after year. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to place on record our deep appreciation for his outstanding contribution and exemplary service during his tenure.”
M S Unnikrishnan has been appointed as an Independent Director with effect from 29 January 2026, for a period of five years. Unnikrishnan has over four decades of experience and is currently the Head and CEO of the IITB-Monash Research Academy, a joint venture set up between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and Monash University, Australia.
Unnikrishnan serves on the boards of KEC International, Kirloskar Brothers, Greaves Cotton and Livguard Energy Technologies. He also serves as a trustee of Akshayapatra and Jehangir Hospital, Pune.
Sud, a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, has rich experience in sales, marketing, distribution and business strategy. Prior to joining Blue Star, in a career spanning over two decades with Hindustan Unilever, he has successfully led sales and marketing of several product categories including Home Care and Beauty and Well Being in many geographies across India. In his last assignment as Vice President, he was responsible for driving the Premium Retail distribution for the Beauty and Well Being business.
