CHAIRMEN EMERITI
ASHOK M ADVANI – CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
Ashok M Advani holds an MBA from the Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration, an Electrical Engineering degree from MIT, USA, and a BSc (Honours) from Mumbai University. With a distinguished career spanning over 47 years at Blue Star, Mr Advani served as its Chairman for 33 years. Under his leadership, revenues multiplied more than 400-fold, and the Company established itself as a recognised leader in the air conditioning and commercial refrigeration industry in India.
He retired from the Board in November 2016. In recognition of his exceptional leadership and legacy at Blue Star, he was appointed Chairman Emeritus. He continues to be an invitee at Board Meetings and remains deeply engaged with the Company as an advisor to both the Board and the Executive Management.
SUNEEL M ADVANI – CHAIRMAN EMERITUS
Suneel M Advani is a double graduate in Electrical Engineering and Economics from MIT, USA. He also holds an LLB degree from Mumbai University. Mr Advani spent his entire professional career at Blue Star, beginning as a management trainee in 1969. Over the years, he steadily rose through the ranks, becoming President and Vice Chairman in 1984. In 2014, he retired from his executive role and was designated Vice Chairman of the Board. In December 2016, he was appointed Chairman of the Board, a position he held until his retirement from the Board on March 31, 2019, after 50 years with the Company, including 36 years on its Board.
In recognition of his exemplary leadership, Mr Advani was honoured with the title of Chairman Emeritus. He continues to be associated with the Company as an advisor to both the Board and Executive Management.
During his tenure, Mr Advani played a key role in establishing Blue Star’s presence in computer software development and exports. When this division was spun off in 2000 to form Blue Star Infotech Limited, he became Chairman and later Managing Director. He also led many successful joint ventures with global companies such as HP, Motorola, and Stork-Comprimo, in addition to forming strategic partnerships within the Indian air conditioning industry. Mr Advani was instrumental in several corporate acquisitions for both Blue Star and Blue Star Infotech Limited.
Throughout his career, Mr Advani contributed significantly to the industry and trade bodies, serving on the managing councils of several organisations, including the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). He is also the founder and a Past President of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Manufacturers Association (RAMA).
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
VIR S ADVANI - CHAIRMAN & MANAGING DIRECTOR
Vir S Advani holds Bachelor’s degrees in Systems Engineering and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania. He has also completed an Executive Management Programme at Harvard Business School. After a two-year stint in private equity in New York, Mr Advani joined Blue Star Infotech Limited in 2000 and then founded Blue Star Design and Engineering Limited in 2003, serving as its Chief Executive Officer.
In 2007, he transitioned to Blue Star, assuming the role of Vice President of Corporate Affairs. He was promoted to Executive Director in 2010. In April 2016, he was appointed as the Managing Director of the Company, and in April 2019, he was elevated to Vice Chairman and re-designated as Vice Chairman & Managing Director. In April 2024, he assumed the role of Chairman & Managing Director at Blue Star.
In his enhanced role, Mr Advani serves as the key interface between the Board and the Executive Management. He directly oversees various businesses and functions, including Professional Electronics & Industrial Systems business, International Operations, Corporate Finance, Corporate Human Resources, Information Technology, and Corporate Planning.
Mr Advani is an active member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and is currently the Chairman of the CII Western Region Council.
Directorship and Full-Time Positions in Body Corporates
B THIAGARAJAN - MANAGING DIRECTOR
B Thiagarajan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Madurai University. He has also completed the Senior Executive Programme from London Business School. He has over four decades of experience, having worked for reputable companies such as Larsen & Toubro Limited, BPL Systems Limited, and Voltas Limited, prior to joining Blue Star in 1998.
Mr Thiagarajan has led Products and Service Businesses and many Corporate functions before being elevated to the Board in 2013. He was appointed as Joint Managing Director in 2016 before taking charge as Managing Director in April 2019.
Mr Thiagarajan is a member of the Board of National Skill Development Corporation. He plays an active role in various industry forums. He is currently a member of the CII National Council and chairs the CII Skills Steering Council and CII National Committee on CSR. He also Co-chairs the CII National Committee on Technology, R&D, and Innovation.
In the past, he has served as the National Chairman of the Indian Green Building Council, Chairman of CII Green Cooling Council, President of the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Manufacturers Association (RAMA), and Chairman of both CII Western Region and CII Maharashtra State.
MOHIT SUD - EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, UNITARY COOLING PRODUCTS
Mohit Sud is an accomplished business leader with over two decades of experience in sales and marketing across India. At Blue Star, he holds end-to-end responsibility for the Unitary Cooling Products Group, which includes room air conditioners and commercial refrigeration products such as deep freezers, water coolers, visi coolers, and modular cold rooms. His responsibilities span the entire value chain, including sales, marketing, service, R&D, manufacturing, and supply chain.
A mechanical engineer with an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur, Mr Sud brings extensive experience in sales, marketing, distribution, and business strategy. Prior to joining Blue Star, he spent over two decades at Hindustan Unilever, where he held multiple leadership roles across sales and marketing, managing diverse product categories including home care, beauty and wellbeing, across multiple geographies in India. In his last assignment as Vice President, he led premium retail distribution for the Beauty & Wellbeing business. He joined the Blue Star Board in April 2026.
ANIL HARISH - INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR
Anil Harish is a Partner at the law firm D M Harish & Co., with a practice encompassing diverse areas such as Property, Exchange Control, Foreign Investments, Trusts, Wills, and both Indian and International Taxation. He has served on the Managing Committee of the Indian Merchants Chamber, Chamber of Tax Consultants, and ITAT Bar Association. Additionally, Mr Harish has held leadership positions in several legal institutions, including serving as Vice President of the Society of Indian Law Firms. Recognised as a leading tax lawyer by the prestigious legal directory Chambers & Partners, Mr Harish has authored numerous articles published in leading newspapers and professional journals.
He joined the Board of Blue Star in November 2017 and is also a Director of reputed companies including Oberoi Realty Limited and Emaar India Limited. Beyond his corporate roles, Mr Harish is actively involved with various educational and charitable trusts and is Provost of HSNC University.
RAJIV R LULLA - NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Rajiv R Lulla holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with Electronics from King’s College London and a Master’s degree from Imperial College London. He is a Founding Partner at Deep Blue Advisors, an independent strategic and financial advisory firm.
Mr Lulla brings over 30 years of experience as a strategic advisor, investment banker, and corporate finance professional, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, and corporate advisory. He has successfully completed transactions with a combined value exceeding $220 billion across a broad range of sectors including industrials, infrastructure, transport, telecommunications, and business services.
Over the course of his career, Mr Lulla has held senior global leadership positions at Merrill Lynch, Crédit Agricole Group, and Deutsche Bank, with postings in New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. In addition to his leadership roles in global investment banking, he advises companies, investors, and stakeholders on strategic, financial, and corporate matters across multiple sectors.
Mr Lulla joined the Board of Blue Star in December 2016.
Directorship and Full-Time Positions in Body Corporates
G MURLIDHAR - INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR
G Murlidhar, former MD of Kotak Mahindra Life Insurance, is a founding member who has been instrumental in shaping its growth journey. Over three decades, he has held leadership roles including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, driving operational excellence, governance, and strategic expansion.
Under his stewardship, Kotak Life built a robust distribution network and service backbone that positioned it strongly in a competitive market.
A Chartered Accountant, Cost & Management Accountant and Company Secretary, Mr Murlidhar has also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. His career spans finance, HR, IT, marketing, and consumer distribution, with experience in public issues and open offers across BFSI, services, and manufacturing. He brings a unique blend of technical expertise, strategic vision, and people-centric leadership to every role he undertakes. Mr Murlidhar joined the Board of Blue Star in January 2024.
SUNAINA MURTHY - NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Sunaina Murthy holds a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Rochester and a Master’s degree in Biotechnology from Northwestern University. She has earned an IICA Certificate in Corporate Governance and a Competent Boards Certificate in Climate and Biodiversity.
Ms Murthy began her career as a cancer researcher at the University of Pennsylvania before moving into venture capital with a focus on life sciences. She co-managed a $3 billion healthcare fund at AIM Capital Management, USA, making investments across biotechnology, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, hospitals, and healthcare services. Since returning to India in 2006, she has consulted for venture capital firms and companies in the life sciences and healthcare sectors, both in the US and India. Ms Murthy joined the Blue Star Board in April 2019.
Directorship and Full-Time Positions in Body Corporates
ANITA RAMACHANDRAN - INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR
Anita Ramachandran holds a Master’s degree in Management Studies from Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management. She is a renowned Human Resource professional with deep knowledge and experience of about 40 years as a management consultant. She is also one of the first generation of women professionals to become an entrepreneur and run a highly successful HR consulting and services organisation.
Ms Ramachandran began her career with AF Ferguson & Co. [AFF] (the KPMG network company in India then) in 1976 as the first woman consultant of the firm. In her 19-year stint with AFF, she worked in various parts of the country and across a wide range of functional areas. She was a Director at the time of leaving the firm.
Ms Ramachandran founded Cerebrus Consultants in 1995 to focus on HR advisory services, including organisation transformation. Her reputation and innovative work helped her build Cerebrus into a firm with national presence, with the firm having worked with over 1000 companies in South Asia. Ms Ramachandran is known as an authority in reward management in the country. In recent years, she has been involved with several large organisations in South Asia for organisation transformation and talent management issues. Her wide general management consulting experience and insights on HR have enabled her to be a strategic advisor to many family groups. She also works with several PE firms and start-ups to mentor them through their growth journey. Ms Ramachandran is now additionally an Advisor with Mercer Consulting after the merger of Cerebrus with Mercer Consulting. Ms Ramachandran has been an Independent Director on boards of several large companies for over 20 years. She supports many organisations in the social sector through pro-bono professional work and remains deeply committed to work with women. She was also former Chairperson of TiE Women.
Ms Ramachandran joined the Blue Star Board in June 2022.
Directorship and Full-Time Positions in Body Corporates
VIPIN SONDHI - INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR
Vipin Sondhi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Technology in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi, and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad. He has about four decades of experience in the Manufacturing and Engineering sectors. He has been the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ashok Leyland, JCB India, and Tecumseh India. He has also worked with other reputed organisations, including Tata Steel, Shriram Honda Power Equipment, and Escorts Limited.
He is currently Chairperson, National Board for Quality Promotion, Quality Council of India; Member, Technology Advisory Group to Empowered Technology Group (appointed by Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India); Chairperson of the Confederation of Indian Industry’s Green Mobility Council; and Member, Governing Board of I-Hub for Autonomous Systems Innovation Foundation, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. In addition, he has been the past Vice President of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). He is on the Board of several ‘not-for-profit’organisations such as Bharatiya Yuva Shakti Trust, Ananta Centre, and Sasakawa India Leprosy Foundation. He is also an Independent Director and joined the Board of Blue Star in January 2024.
Directorship and Full-Time Positions in Body Corporates
M S Unnikrishnan - INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR
M S Unnikrishnan has over four decades of experience and is currently the Head and CEO of the IITB–Monash Research Academy, a joint venture between the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and Monash University, Australia. He is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, and has also completed the Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School.
Prior to this, he served as the Managing Director of the Thermax Group, an Indian engineering major focused on energy and environmental solutions, with a manufacturing footprint spread across multiple locations in India and globally. Mr Unnikrishnan serves on the boards of KEC International Limited, Kirloskar Brothers Limited, Greaves Cotton Limited, and Livguard Energy Technologies Private Limited. He also serves as a trustee of The Akshaya Patra Foundation and Jehangir Hospital in Pune. He joined the Board of Blue Star in January 2026.
Directorship and Full-Time Positions in Body Corporates
DINESH N VASWANI - NON-EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dinesh N Vaswani holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a BBA cum laude from the University of Texas at Austin. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Acuitas Capital Advisors Private Limited, a multi-family investment office that advises families on their investments. He has over three decades of experience in both investing and operating companies in India and the US.
Mr Vaswani was a Managing Director at Temasek Holdings Advisors India Private Limited, established Bessemer Venture Partners’ operations in India, and was the CEO of Blue Star Infotech Limited, USA. He has served on several Boards of public and private companies, including Firstsource, Mindtree, Venture Infotech, and Borosil. He joined the Board of Blue Star in December 2016.
