Rakshit Hargave Steps Down As Grasim Industries' Paints CEO, Surprise Exit Comes Just 18 Months After Birla Opus Launch

Mumbai: Rakshit Hargave, CEO of Grasim Industries’ paints arm, Birla Opus, has called it quits. He’s leaving on November 1, 2025, which is just a year and a half after the brand’s big debut. His last day at work? December 5. The announcement came through a letter to the company’s Board.

So, why is he leaving? Hargave says he’s moving on to other career opportunities. In his note, he thanked the Board, the management, and his colleagues for their support. “It’s been my pleasure to be associated with the Company,” he wrote.

People in the industry didn’t see this coming. Analysts say the timing is odd, especially because Birla Opus launched with so much buzz as a serious challenger in India’s paint market.

Abneesh Roy, who heads research at Nuvama Institutional Equities, called the move “very surprising.” He pointed out that Birla Opus just hasn’t grown much over the past six or seven months. The paints business is tough, he said. It’s crowded, and scaling up isn’t easy. Meanwhile, Roy still likes Asian Paints, which he says has been “very aggressive” lately.

Roy also expects things to pick up after November. Sure, the monsoon months slowed demand, but with better weather and GST cuts in related sectors, he thinks people will start spending again.

As for Hargave, he’s no rookie. He’s spent over 20 years leading big consumer brands. Before Birla Opus, he ran Nivea’s business across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand, and he led Nivea India too. He’s also worked at Unilever, Nestlé, and Domino’s Pizza—he actually launched the famous “30 minutes or free” campaign. He studied at IIT-BHU and FMS Delhi.