SML Mahindra has appointed Surender Kalra as its chief financial officer (CFO), effective January 1, 2027, following the planned departure of Pushkar Patwardhan from the role on October 19, 2026. The company’s board approved the appointments at its meeting on October 12.
Manaswini Goel, currently CFO for Mahindra Group’s Aerospace, Advanced Technologies, and Trucks & Buses businesses, will serve as interim CFO from October 20 to December 31, 2026.
Kalra is a chartered accountant with more than three decades of experience across finance, governance, business planning and transformation. He has been associated with Mahindra’s Swaraj business for nearly 30 years, having joined erstwhile Punjab Tractors in 1996. He has served as vice-president of finance for the Swaraj Division since 2022 and is a member of its executive council.
Patwardhan will step down as CFO and key managerial personnel at the close of October 19 to pursue a career opportunity outside the Mahindra Group, according to the company’s regulatory filing.
Separately, SML Mahindra has appointed Ashudeep Saddi as chief human resources officer (CHRO) and senior management personnel, effective October 19, 2026.
Saddi joins from Voltas, where he serves as head of HR for the International Operations Business Group. He has nearly 30 years of human resources experience across consumer durables, telecommunications, FMCG, engineering and manufacturing. His previous roles include positions at Vodafone, Samsung, Procter & Gamble, LG Electronics and Punjab Tractors.
Goel joined the Mahindra Group in 2015 and has held roles in corporate finance and treasury. Before joining Mahindra, she worked with HDFC and National Housing Bank. She is a chartered accountant and holds qualifications from Shri Ram College of Commerce, the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.