Who Is Pankaj Pawar, Jio Platforms' Newly Appointed CEO Replacing Kiran Thomas Ahead of IPO?

Jio has appointed Pankaj Pawar as its new chief executive officer (CEO), taking over from Kiran Thomas at a critical juncture for the company as it moves ahead with its planned public listing. The leadership change was disclosed through the company's draft red herring prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Board of India, BSE and the National Stock Exchange on June 19.

According to the draft IPO papers, Kiran Mathew Thomas resigned as CEO of Jio on March 23, with Pankaj Mohan Pawar taking charge the following day. Pawar had previously served as a non-executive director on the Jio Platforms board before stepping down on March 23 and assuming the CEO role on March 24. Thomas, who had earlier served as president of Reliance Industries, no longer appears among Jio Platforms' key managerial personnel in the prospectus, despite his visibility at company presentations and shareholder meetings since the digital services arm was set up in 2016. The filing also records a related change in senior leadership, with Mathew Oommen, who was appointed group chief executive officer in October 2024, being redesignated as group president on June 19.

Who is Pankaj Pawar?

Pawar, 53, continues to hold his existing role as Managing Director of Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited, Jio Platforms' telecom subsidiary, alongside his new responsibilities as CEO of the parent company. He joined the Reliance Group in 2000 and has close to three decades of experience in building and scaling large consumer and digital services businesses. According to the IPO filing, Pawar is responsible for the overall operational management and execution of Jio Platforms' business strategy, with his responsibilities spanning growth across mobility, fixed broadband and enterprise services, as well as overseeing the development of the company's digital products and technology platforms.

Board and ownership structure

Jio Platforms' board is led by Reliance Industries chairman and managing director Mukesh Ambani, who serves as chairman and non-executive director of the company. Akash Ambani serves as managing director, a designation he moved into from executive director on April 9, a change subsequently approved by shareholders on May 4. Isha Ambani, Anant Ambani and Manoj Modi serve as non-executive directors, alongside five independent directors including Raminder Singh Gujral, Shumeet Banerji, Haigreve Khaitan, Dinesh Kanabar and Zia Mody. Reliance Industries currently holds 66.43 percent of Jio Platforms' pre-issue equity.

IPO context

Pawar's elevation comes as Jio Platforms prepares for what is expected to be one of India's largest public offerings. The company had 893.9 crore outstanding equity shares before the issue, and plans to issue up to 27 crore fresh equity shares, amounting to roughly 2.9 percent of its post-issue equity capital.

The draft prospectus does not disclose the issue price, price band, total amount to be raised or the valuation at which the company will list, meaning widely circulated estimates suggesting a raise of around 4 billion dollars or a valuation of about 137 billion dollars remain unconfirmed by the company's own filing.

Published on: Tuesday, July 14, 2026, 01:22 PM IST