ITC names Amitabh Kant to board, extends Hemant Malik’s term

FMCG major ITC Ltd on Tuesday announced the appointment of Amitabh Kant as a director and independent director of the company for a five-year term, effective January 1, 2026.

The company also said it has re-appointed Hemant Malik as a director and whole-time director for a further two-year term, beginning August 12, 2026.

Kant, 69, is a retired Indian Administrative Service officer with more than four decades of administrative experience. A governance reformer and public policy specialist, he joined the IAS in 1980 in the Kerala cadre and most recently served as India’s G20 Sherpa during the country’s presidency in 2022–23.

His previous roles include Chief Executive Officer of NITI Aayog, Secretary in the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Chief Executive Officer of the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, and Tourism Secretary to the Government of Kerala. Kant has authored several books, including Made in India, Incredible India 2.0 and Branding India – An Incredible Story, and has received multiple national and international awards. He currently serves on the boards of HCL Technologies, Larsen & Toubro and InterGlobe Aviation, among others.

Malik, 49, currently serves as the Divisional Chief Executive of ITC’s Foods Business Division and also oversees the company’s Personal Care Products business. He joined ITC in June 1989 after completing his BA (Hons) in Economics from Delhi University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

With more than 35 years at ITC, Malik has held leadership roles across the company’s tobacco, foods and trade marketing and distribution businesses. He was instrumental in the launch and scaling of several of ITC’s Aashirvaad, Sunfeast, Bingo!, YiPPee! and Kitchens of India brands, said the company in a stock exchange filing.

Before taking charge of the Foods Business Division in October 2016, Malik served as Chief Executive of the Trade Marketing and Distribution vertical and earlier as Chief Operating Officer of cigarette brands and supply chain in the India Tobacco Division. He currently chairs the Food Processing Committee of FICCI and is a member of the Board of Governors of the Advertising Standards Council of India.