India — Navin Chettiar has been appointed as Head – IT & Digital at Birla White, where he will lead the company’s IT strategy and digital transformation initiatives aimed at strengthening enterprise technology capabilities and accelerating technology-driven business transformation.
In his new role, Chettiar will focus on driving digital innovation, modernizing enterprise systems, enhancing operational efficiency, and building scalable technology infrastructure to support the company’s long-term growth and business objectives.
He brings extensive experience in IT leadership, enterprise technology, manufacturing digitization, and digital transformation across manufacturing, industrial, and consumer-focused organizations.
Prior to joining Birla White, Chettiar served as Assistant General Manager and Head – Information Technology at Exide Energy Solutions Ltd., where he played a key role in establishing the IT function for a greenfield lithium-ion battery manufacturing business. As one of the founding members of the IT organization, he led the development of the company’s technology operating model, governance framework, enterprise systems, and digital roadmap from the ground up.
During his tenure at Exide Energy Solutions, he spearheaded enterprise-wide digital initiatives spanning SAP implementation, manufacturing systems, supply chain digitization, finance, procurement, HR, quality management, and project management functions. He also led technology enablement for manufacturing operations while driving initiatives focused on process automation, cybersecurity governance, workflow digitization, and operational scalability.
Chettiar additionally oversaw IT infrastructure, cloud platforms, cybersecurity frameworks, workplace technologies, vendor management, and enterprise application deployment across multiple business locations. Under his leadership, the IT organization scaled from a single-member function to a multi-location technology team supporting large-scale manufacturing and corporate operations.
He has also held key technology leadership roles at Tata Consumer Products, JSW, and PPG Asian Paints, contributing to large-scale SAP deployments, enterprise modernization programs, manufacturing digitization, and supply chain transformation initiatives.
Across his professional journey, Chettiar has built strong expertise in enterprise IT strategy, digital transformation, manufacturing technology, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, ERP systems, operational automation, and technology-enabled business transformation.
His appointment comes at a time when manufacturing and industrial companies are increasingly investing in digital technologies, automation, enterprise platforms, and data-driven operations to improve productivity, supply chain visibility, operational resilience, and customer responsiveness.
Birla White is a unit of UltraTech Cement Ltd., the flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group. Established in 1988, Birla White is one of India’s leading white cement and wall finishing brands, offering a portfolio of white cement-based surface finishing products for construction and interior applications. The company focuses on innovation, product quality, and technology-driven manufacturing while serving India’s evolving construction and infrastructure sectors.
