Anant Goenka to be Ceat deputy MD

Another son is rising at India Inc. Anant Goenka, son of RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka, will take over as deputy managing director, a post created at tyre major Ceat. Anant will take over on January 4.

The move comes on the back of a series of next generation family members taking over the reins from current promoters. Roshni Nadar, daughter of HCL founder Shiv Nadar, took over as CEO of the company in July. Nandini Piramal, eldest child of Ajay and Swati Piramal, became executive director of Piramal Healthcare in April.

At 28, Anant will be the youngest executive on the board of India’s fourth-largest tyre maker. His father will still hold the record of taking over at the age of 24 as managing director of the company, 26 years ago. Four years later, Harsh became the chairman of the group. Anant will be reporting to Ceat’s 58-year-old Managing Director Paresh Choudhary.

In his first interview, Anant, a Kellogg School of Management graduate, said he would be a “good fit” at Ceat, adding that he could bring value to the business due to his academic background and skills he acquired working with other group firms and companies like Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong and Hindustan Unilever in Mumbai. His aim would be to execute the objectives set by the company — increase pace of growth in rural India, raise international footprint and oversee the Rs 600-crore investment plan at Halol plant.

Anant was with Ceat as speciality tyre business head. In July 2007, he joined KEC International as vice president (corporate) and was in charge of telecom business, business development in North America and integrated planning and monitoring of transmission and distribution business. He later became executive director.