Devyani International names Manish Dawar as President & CEO

Devyani International (DIL), a leading global quick service restaurant (QSR) operators, has announced the elevation of Manish Dawar as president & chief executive officer, effective April 1, 2026. Manish, currently the CFO & whole time director, has over three decades of leadership experience across global and Indian enterprises, with leadership roles at Vodafone India, Vedanta, Reckitt Benckiser, Reebok having started his career at Hindustan Unilever. He has wide experience across multiple industry domains and various geographies in the World.

At DIL, he has played a very significant and pivotal role in shaping the company’s growth trajectory, including the public listing. He has also led key strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of Thailand business, the acquisition and turnaround of Sky gate Hospitality (brands ‘Biryani by Kilo’ and ‘Goila Butter Chicken’), and more recently the proposed merger with Sapphire Foods.

Manish will continue to lead the merged entity as its president & CEO, upon the merger getting approved and consummated.

Virag Joshi, president & CEO, will continue on the board of DIL, as a non-executive director and will provide strategic advice as and when required.

The company further announced that Anupam Kumar, currently EVP – finance will take over the role of CFO. Anupam has over two decades of experience, before joining RJ Corp, with Vedanta and Walker Chandiok & Co LLP.

In addition, Neeraj Tiwari has been appointed as the CTO. Neeraj brings nearly 19 years of experience building digital businesses for enterprises across consumer sectors. He led the Digital Technology function at Americana Group – one of the largest restaurant operators out of GCC. Prior to his role at Americana, he was associated with Zee Entertainment and Jubilant Foodworks. Further details regarding the broader leadership structure will be announced in due course.

Commenting on the leadership change, Ravi Jaipuria, non-executive chairman, Devyani International said, “DIL is at a critical inflexion point in its journey of becoming a leader in the QSR sector. With the proposed merger with SFIL and the rapid evolution of the QSR industry towards a digital-first, consumer-led future, the board believes this is the right time to transition to a new leadership with the vision, capability, and execution strength to lead the next phase of growth.

I would also like to place on record my sincere appreciation for Virag for his outstanding contribution to the company over more than two decades. We are grateful that he has agreed to continue supporting the company as a non-executive director, bringing his deep industry knowledge and strategic insight.”

Manish Dawar, commenting on his elevation, said “It is a privilege to lead Devyani International at such an exciting and transformative juncture. The Indian consumer is evolving rapidly, creating new opportunities across formats, occasions, and cuisines. With DIL’s deep operational capabilities, strong brands, expanding scale, and growing digital and technology backbone, we are uniquely positioned to build a future-ready QSR platform that delivers sustained, longterm value for all stakeholders. We will be announcing the leadership team for DIL in due course as we progress with the merger. I would like to thank the board for reposing the trust and confidence in me to lead DIL at such an important juncture.”