Bira 91 Reshapes Executive Leadership Team to Power Bold Turnaround

Bira 91 Logo

Sudhir Jain, Manoj Mishra, Vikram Qanungo

Nayanabhiram Deekonda, Deepak Sinha, Vandana Sahni

Leadership Team Changes Announced As Company Powers Through Aggressive Transformation and Turnaround

NEW DELHI, INDIA, July 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- • Nayanabhiram Deekonda, a veteran with over nine years at the company, has been appointed SVP – Sales, leading India Sales.
• Vikram Qanungo returns to Bira 91 as CFO. He previously served as Bira 91’s CFO from 2015-2019.
• Deepak Sinha, formerly VP International Business, has been elevated to SVP – Brand & Innovation.
• Sudhir Jain, SVP – Integrated Supply Chain, will additionally head the People function.
• Dr. Manoj Mishra, formerly Head of Supply Chain at Ball Corporation (India and SEA), has been appointed Vice President, Manufacturing.
• Vandana Sahni, previously Head of FP&A at Bira 91, has been elevated to Chief of Staff and Head, Strategy.

Bira 91, India's most disruptive premium beer brand, today announced a significant reshaping of its executive leadership team. This strategic overhaul is part of a company-wide turnaround focused on accelerating growth, achieving profitability, and solidifying its category leadership.

This change marks a bold new chapter for Bira 91, signaling an era of enhanced scale, agility, and category-first disruption. At the heart of this evolution are four seasoned leaders with global experience and deep roots in Bira 91’s journey.

One of the key changes include consolidation of National Sales under Nayanabhiram Deekonda who is being appointed as SVP – Sales. Deekonda, a Bira 91 veteran, brings a decade of experience within the company, having previously spearheaded the Product & Growth and People functions, alongside various pivotal roles in sales and strategy. His extensive background also includes time in venture capital as a founding member of Anthill Spirits, an early-stage fund focused on investing in India's alcoholic beverages sector. Additionally, he held key positions at leading FMCG firm Reckitt Benckiser and the hedge fund DE Shaw. An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Deekonda will be instrumental in driving aggressive sales growth as the brand powers ahead to profitability.

Vikram Qanungo rejoins Bira 91 as Chief Financial Officer, bringing over 25 years of experience in finance, fundraising, and operations across diverse industries. Vikram played a crucial role during the company’s early growth, helping shape its financial foundation by securing major equity rounds, implementing enterprise systems, and enabling international expansion. His extensive cross-industry experience includes leadership roles at high-growth startups and legacy businesses like Dish TV, Typhoo, and Reliance Retail. In his new role, Vikram will steer Bira 91’s financial roadmap, with a clear focus on profitability, operational discipline, and long-term resilience.

Deepak Sinha steps into the role of Vice President, Brand & Innovation. With over a decade of global alcobev experience and more than eight years of category-defining work at Bira 91, Deepak has played a key role in shaping the brand's journey across markets. His tenure includes launching Bira 91 in the United States, leading international business, marketing efforts in India, and driving portfolio innovation. With past stints at Pernod Ricard USA, Coors, and Allied Beverage Group, Deepak, a graduate of Baruch College, City University of New York, brings a sharp global perspective and an instinct for cultural storytelling.

Manoj Mishra has been appointed as Vice President, Manufacturing. Manoj brings over 20 years of experience from companies such as Ball Corporation, ITC, Britannia, and Coca-Cola. At Ball, he led greenfield and cross-border operations across India and SEA, scaling production while embedding world-class automation and sustainability benchmarks. At Bira 91, he will drive manufacturing excellence, operational agility, and capacity strategy, working directly with Sudhir Jain, Sr. Vice President & Chief of People & Integrated Supply Chain, to ensure tighter alignment and seamless execution between manufacturing and supply.

Vandana Sahni, previously Head of FP&A at Bira 91, has been elevated to Chief of Staff and Head, Strategy. In this role, Sahni will act as a key strategic advisor, working closely with leadership to help formulate, refine, and execute critical initiatives, while also optimizing operational efficiency and communication across the organization. Her extensive experience, garnered from previous key roles at Walmart International, Dominos, and Vodafone Idea, coupled with her strong professional background as a qualified professional from ICAI and an alumna of SRCC, positions her perfectly to drive Bira 91's strategic roadmap forward.

Speaking of the appointment, Ankur Jain, Founder & CEO, Bira 91, said, “With this leadership shift, we’re building for long-term dominance, sharper execution, and a renewed focus on profitability. As we drive our business transformation to a leaner, more agile and more focused company, and conclude our capital raise in the company, the reshaped leadership team brings in execution chops to drive our long term goal – one of redefining beer for this generation of Indian consumers by introducing them to taste and flavors.”

These changes arrive at a pivotal time for Bira 91. With a renewed supply model—a strategic blend of contract and lease brewing—Bira 91 is ensuring beer reaches consumers faster and fresher across the country. Key moves such as exclusive distributors in Delhi, local production in Uttar Pradesh, and market expansion into Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are unlocking speed, scale, and efficiency like never before. Backed by agile teams, a sharper operating model, and a leadership crew built for scale and innovation, this marks a powerful new chapter in the brand’s journey to IPO.

About B9 Beverages

A refreshingly modern beer brand, imagined in India, Bira 91 aspires to bring flavorful beers to the new world. As one of the fastest-growing brands in the world, Bira 91 has built a diverse portfolio of award-winning beers, one for every occasion, and aims to drive a global shift in beer towards more color and flavor. Bira 91 is now enjoyed in over 1000 towns and cities spread across 25 countries and brews its beers across six manufacturing units in India.

Established in 2015, Bira 91 is driven by a dynamic team of passionate beer lovers and is backed by leading investors from across the world – including Japan's leading beer company, Kirin Holdings, Japan’s largest bank, MUFG Bank, Tiger Pacific Capital from New York, Sofina of Belgium, and Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia India).

Rohit Pillai
B9 Beverages Ltd
rohit.pillai@bira91.com
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