NIPSEA Group Names Sharad Malhotra MD of Nippon Paint India

18 Nov 2025 CW Team

Nippon Paint, headquartered in Japan, is the world’s fourth-largest paint company by revenue and the leading paints and coatings brand in the Asia Pacific region. The appointment aligns with the company’s strategy to strengthen its long-term presence in India, a key growth market.

A 15-year veteran at Nippon Paint, Mr Malhotra has played a pivotal role in establishing the company’s automotive refinish, wood coatings, and light industrial coatings businesses in India. He is also a Director on the Board and has recently overseen the company’s diversification into paint protection films and new product categories.

Mr Wee Siew Kim, Co-President of Nippon Paint Holdings and Group CEO of the NIPSEA Group, said the appointment recognises Mr Malhotra’s strong track record. “Sharad has successfully charted a growth path for our auto refinish business globally while based in India. His ability to deliver results and deep understanding of our business make him well suited to lead our India operations through the next phase of growth,” he said.

Mr Malhotra said he was honoured to take on the new responsibility. “The Indian market presents unique opportunities and challenges. I look forward to expanding our business, building on our strengths, and supporting our customers and partners as we move ahead.”

As Managing Director, he will drive the overall direction and strategy of Nippon Paint India, with a focus on sustainable growth across segments. He will also continue to lead the company’s global automotive aftermarket initiative, a category he has overseen since inception.

Nippon Paint sees India as a strategic market due to its large population, growing economy, skilled workforce, and expanding infrastructure. The company aims to build on its Asian market strengths and leverage its technologies, teams, and ecosystem as it enters a new phase under Mr Malhotra’s leadership.

The NIPSEA Group, a subsidiary of Japan’s Nippon Paint Holdings, has appointed Mr Sharad Malhotra as Managing Director of Nippon Paint India, effective 1 December 2025. He succeeds Mr Jon Tan and will report to Group CEO Mr Wee Siew Kim. With this appointment, Mr Malhotra becomes the first Indian to lead the company’s India operations. Nippon Paint, headquartered in Japan, is the world’s fourth-largest paint company by revenue and the leading paints and coatings brand in the Asia Pacific region. The appointment aligns with the company’s strategy to strengthen its long-term presence in India, a key growth market. A 15-year veteran at Nippon Paint, Mr Malhotra has played a pivotal role in establishing the company’s automotive refinish, wood coatings, and light industrial coatings businesses in India. He is also a Director on the Board and has recently overseen the company’s diversification into paint protection films and new product categories. Mr Wee Siew Kim, Co-President of Nippon Paint Holdings and Group CEO of the NIPSEA Group, said the appointment recognises Mr Malhotra’s strong track record. “Sharad has successfully charted a growth path for our auto refinish business globally while based in India. His ability to deliver results and deep understanding of our business make him well suited to lead our India operations through the next phase of growth,” he said. Mr Malhotra said he was honoured to take on the new responsibility. “The Indian market presents unique opportunities and challenges. I look forward to expanding our business, building on our strengths, and supporting our customers and partners as we move ahead.” As Managing Director, he will drive the overall direction and strategy of Nippon Paint India, with a focus on sustainable growth across segments. He will also continue to lead the company’s global automotive aftermarket initiative, a category he has overseen since inception. Nippon Paint sees India as a strategic market due to its large population, growing economy, skilled workforce, and expanding infrastructure. The company aims to build on its Asian market strengths and leverage its technologies, teams, and ecosystem as it enters a new phase under Mr Malhotra’s leadership.

Infrastructure Urban

27 Dec 2025

The Engineers’ Bill must be cleared on priority

Amid sweeping changes in the global construction industry, India must urgently overhaul its approach to procurement, regulation and the training of engineers, says Prashant Kapila, President, Consulting Engineers Association of India (CEAI), an industry body. Holding a master’s degree in civil & environmental Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, US, he tells CW that the early passage of the Professional Engineers’ Bill, 2025, is critical to this transformation.At a time when the construction sector is at an inflexion point, what do you see as the key challenges fo..

Infrastructure Urban

27 Dec 2025

Yashoda Medicity

A 1,200-bed healthcare centre rises in Ghaziabad, marrying clinical efficiency, human-centred design and sustainability.In the rapidly expanding urban fabric of Ghaziabad, the demand for advanced tertiary healthcare infrastructure has long outpaced supply. Yashoda Medicity – a 1,200-bed, multi-speciality campus located in Indirapuram – represents a decisive response to this gap. Planned as a next-generation, LEED-ready, digitally enabled healthcare ecosystem, the project combines architectural clarity, engineering precision and strong sustainability benchmarks to deliver a contemporary med..

Technology

27 Dec 2025

We’re fixing construction from the ground up!

In an incisive conversation with CW, Iesh Dixit, CEO & Cofounder, Powerplay, unpacks how the platform is reshaping onsite execution, unlocking real-time visibility and redefining digital adoption across India’s construction sites.When Powerplay began digitising site-to-office workflows, which onsite challenges did you prioritise first, and what informed those choices?From the start, we were very clear on one thing: digitisation in construction can’t begin in the office. It has to begin onsite, with the people actually executing the work. So, the first problems we went after w..