Private equity firm Carlyle has appointed Anuj Poddar, the former CEO of Bajaj Electricals, in the newly created role of co-head of Global Portfolio Solutions (GPS) for Asia, with a focus on India and Southeast Asia.
Poddar will be based in Mumbai and work closely with Carlyle Asia’s country investment advisory teams, the PE firm said in a statement. He will also work with Janine Feng, the vice-chair of Carlyle Asia who oversees value-creation strategies and initiatives in Asia, as well as Richard Elder, the global head of GPS in the US.
“Value creation is becoming increasingly complex and multifaceted across the region, and I look forward to working with the team and building on Carlyle’s global GPS capabilities to help portfolio companies optimize their performance,” said Poddar.
Poddar has over 30 years of corporate leadership and management consulting experience, during which he has been instrumental in driving organizational transformation and business growth.
Greg Zeluck, managing director and co-head of Carlyle Asia, said Poddar’s role fits with the PE firm’s focus on enhancing portfolio company value creation as it looks to increase the number of control buyout deals in Asia.
Prior to Bajaj Electricals, Poddar was a member of the senior leadership team at Viacom18 Media in India, where he played an integral role in the company's entry into mass entertainment and expansion into regional and international markets. He also led strategy for MTV Networks Asia for Southeast Asia and China while at Viacom18 Media.
Prior to Viacom18 Media, he spent close to a decade with KPMG and Arthur Andersen, where he provided consulting, M&A and other services to companies across sectors.
Carlyle is a global investment firm that deploys private capital across its business and conducts its operations through three business segments – global private equity, global credit, and global investment solutions. The investment giant had $435 billion in assets under management as of June 30, 2024. Carlyle employs more than 2,200 people in 29 offices across four continents.
