Devyani International (DIL), one of the world’s leading quick service restaurant (QSR) operators, has announced the appointment of Manish Dawar as the President & Chief Executive Officer, effective from April 1, 2026. Manish, who is at present the CFO & Whole-Time Director, has over three decades of experience as a leader in global and Indian enterprises, including leadership stints at Vodafone India, Vedanta, Reckitt Benckiser, Reebok, and began his career at Hindustan Unilever. Manish has broad experience in diverse industry sectors and geographies across the World.
At DIL, he has been playing a highly significant and pivotal role in defining the company’s growth story, including the public listing. He has also been leading several key strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of the Thailand business, the acquisition and subsequent turnaround of Sky gate Hospitality (brands ‘Biryani by Kilo’ and ‘Goila Butter Chicken’), and most recently, the proposed merger with Sapphire Foods. Manish will continue to lead the merged entity as its President & CEO, post the merger being approved and consummated.
Virag Joshi, president & CEO, will continue to be on the board of DIL, as a non-executive director, and will provide strategic advice as and when required. The company also announced that Anupam Kumar, EVP – finance, will take over as the CFO. Anupam has over two decades of experience, prior to joining RJ Corp, with Vedanta and Walker Chandiok & Co LLP.
In addition, Neeraj Tiwari has been appointed as the CTO. Neeraj has nearly 19 years of experience in building digital businesses for enterprises across consumer sectors. He was the head of the Digital Technology division at Americana Group – one of the largest restaurant operators outside of GCC. Prior to his stint at Americana, he was associated with Zee Entertainment and Jubilant Foodworks. Further details on the overall leadership structure will be announced in due course.
On the leadership transition, Ravi Jaipuria, non-executive chairman, Devyani International, said, “Devyani International is at a critical inflexion point in its journey to become a leader in the QSR industry. With the proposed merger with SFIL and the fast-paced transformation of the QSR industry into a digital-first and consumer-led future, the board feels that this is the right time to move to a new leadership with the vision, capability, and execution strength to lead the next phase of growth.
I would also like to record my personal appreciation for Virag for his outstanding contribution to the company over more than two decades. We are grateful that he has agreed to continue to support the company as a non-executive director, bringing his deep industry knowledge and strategic insights.”
Manish Dawar, on being appointed as the MD of Devyani International, said, “It is an honor to be given the opportunity to lead Devyani International at this exciting and transformative stage. The Indian consumer is undergoing a rapid shift, and this is opening up new opportunities across formats, occasions, and cuisines. With DIL’s strong operational competencies, brands, growing scale, and evolving digital and technology infrastructure, we are well-equipped to create a future-ready QSR business that creates long-term value for all stakeholders. We will be making an announcement regarding the leadership team of DIL shortly as we move ahead with the merger. I would like to thank the board for reposing their trust and confidence in me to lead DIL at this critical stage.”
