“If we look at Mahindra & Mahindra’s example, where they appointed Anisha Shah as CEO from her prior CFO role, it also proves that a transition from CFO to CEO ensures financial discipline while scaling the business. In that sense, I believe PB Balaji is a good choice and could deliver even better results going forward—for both Tata Motors and JLR, where he is now designated CEO,” says Deven Choksey, MD, DRChoksey FinServ Pvt. Ltd.
Do you think PB Balaji is the right choice? Domestically, of course, what he inherited at Tata Motors was a very different situation. He has clearly turned things around. The passenger vehicle (PV) segment has grown significantly. The commercial vehicle (CV) business has also fired on all cylinders. And JLR, which was arguably the most challenging piece in the entire Tata Motors portfolio—who better than him to lead that now?
Deven Choksey: Yes, absolutely. He is proven material when it comes to turnaround stories. He has systematically restructured Tata Motors, particularly its cost structure, and brought every unit back into profitability. So, it is certainly a good move to expect similar or even better results from him at JLR.
Given the fact that new challenges exist—Jaguar, for instance, will be fully electric from this year, and gradually Land Rover will also transition to electric over the next three to five years—his experience will be crucial. Along with this, the domestic portfolio of Tata Motors will also likely see a similar approach. His financial turnaround experience will definitely help.
In fact, if we look at Mahindra & Mahindra’s example, where they appointed Anisha Shah as CEO from her prior CFO role, it also proves that a transition from CFO to CEO ensures financial discipline while scaling the business. In that sense, I believe PB Balaji is a good choice and could deliver even better results going forward—for both Tata Motors and JLR, where he is now designated CEO.
The other big news I wanted to discuss is about Paytm. With Antfin now set to offload its entire stake in Paytm at a 6% discount to the current market price, the stock will likely open weak. But do you think this weakness will be bought into? Or should it be? Paytm is almost touching ₹1100 again.
Deven Choksey: From my viewpoint, financial investors who are currently riding this story will need to ensure that Paytm has a strong bac
Read More