Carlyle appoints former Bajaj Electricals CEO Anuj Poddar as Co-Head Global Portfolio Solutions Asia

Global investment firm Carlyle has appointed Anuj Poddar, former CEO of Bajaj Electricals, as Co-Head of Global Portfolio Solutions (GPS) for Asia, with a focus on India and Southeast Asia.

In this newly created role, Poddar will collaborate with Carlyle Asia’s investment advisory teams, Janine Feng, Vice Chair of Carlyle Asia, and Richard Elder, Global Head of GPS, to drive value creation and performance improvements within portfolio companies.

"We are extremely excited to welcome Anuj to the team. His new role dovetails with our increased focus on enhancing portfolio company value creation and as we look to increase the number of control buyout deals that we do in Asia. We look forward to leveraging Anuj’s extensive experience, particularly in India, as we work with our portfolio companies, with the goal to strengthen and improve their operations, accelerate growth, and drive impact," Greg Zeluck, Managing Director and Co-Head of Carlyle Asia, said.

Anuj Poddar began his journey with Bajaj Electricals Ltd as a Non-Executive, Independent Director in May 2016, before progressing to Executive Director in November 2018, and eventually becoming Managing Director and CEO in August 2022.

Poddar brings over 30 years of experience, including nearly 14 years at Viacom18 Media, where he served as Senior Executive Vice President and Business Head. He also has extensive experience with KPMG and Arthur Andersen, specializing in consulting, M&A, and other corporate services.

The Carlyle Group is a global investment firm founded in 1987 in Washington, D.C. with $435 billion in assets under management as of 2023. It has been actively investing in India across various sectors.

In 2021, Carlyle acquired a controlling 66% stake in VLCC, a homegrown wellness brand, for Rs 2,700 crore.

In 2023, Carlyle sold its entire 2.53% stake, equivalent to 1.84 crore shares, in supply chain management company Delhivery for Rs 709 crore ($93.4 million) in a block deal, a company where it had invested approximately Rs 645 crore (around $100 million). Similarly, it now listing Hexaware, an Indian IT company it acquired in 2021, aiming to raise $1 billion.