Devyani International, the operator of quick service restaurant brands including KFC, Pizza Hut and Costa Coffee in India, has announced a series of leadership changes approved by its Board of Directors during a meeting held on May 15, 2026.
The company said it has re-appointed Manish Dawar as Whole-time Director designated as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for another three year term beginning February 17, 2027, subject to shareholder approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. The company also confirmed that Dawar is not debarred from holding office by any SEBI order or regulatory authority.
Alongside the re-appointment, Devyani International has appointed Gaurav Bhatnagar as EVP and COO for India with effect from May 25, 2026. The company has also redesignated Pradeep Das as Chief Growth and International Business Officer from the same date while continuing his role as part of the senior management team.
The leadership reshuffle comes as Devyani International continues to expand its footprint across India’s quick service restaurant and retail food segments. The company operates several international and domestic food service brands and has been focusing on growth across dine in, delivery and omnichannel operations.
According to the company’s regulatory filing, Manish Dawar brings extensive experience across finance, operations and corporate leadership. He holds a commerce degree from Panjab University and is a member of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Over the years, he has worked with companies including Hindustan Unilever, Reebok India, Reckitt Benckiser, Vedanta and Vodafone India.
Newly appointed India COO Gaurav Bhatnagar has more than two decades of experience across FMCG and ecommerce sectors. He is a PGDM graduate from XLRI Jamshedpur and previously held leadership roles at Hindustan Unilever and Amazon India. At Amazon India, he led marketplace growth across more than 30 categories and worked on strengthening seller ecosystem operations and financial performance improvements.
Pradeep Das, who has been associated with Devyani International since December 2022, will now oversee growth and international business initiatives in his new role. He has previously worked with organisations such as Nature’s Basket, Future Retail and Hypercity India.
In a separate development, the company also re-appointed VGG & Co., Chartered Accountants, as its Internal Auditors for the financial year 2026-27.
