Sharad Malhotra Becomes First Indian MD of Nippon Paint

Nippon Paint Holdings’ NIPSEA Group on Monday announced the appointment of Sharad Malhotra as Managing Director of Nippon Paint India, from December 1, 2025.

This appointment is significant as Malhotra will be the first Indian MD in Nippon Paint's history. He will succeed Jon Tan and report directly to Wee Siew Kim, Group CEO and co-President of Nippon Paint Holdings.

Malhotra will be responsible for leading the strategic plan and growth direction for Nippon Paint's business across India, which is seen by the company as a key market for future business expansion.

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"Sharad has successfully led and charted a strong growth path for our auto refinishes business globally, while being based in India. His proven ability to deliver results, deep understanding of our business and commitment to excellence make him ideally suited to lead our India operations through the next phase of growth," Nippon Paint Holdings Co-President Group CEO, NIPSEA Group, Wee Siew Kim said.

In addition, the company stated that Sharad Malhotra will continue to lead its global automotive aftermarket business which he built from the ground up. His leadership helped to build its global success in the auto refinish segment.

Nippon Paint is highlighted in its importance of India due to its young population, emerging economy and expanding infrastructure which contribute to it being a key market. Due to a favorable business environment and a skilled workforce, Nippon Paint hopes to deepen its long term commitment and investment in India.