Athar Shahab

Athar Shahab is the Managing Director of Zuari Industries Limited, the apex company of the Saroj Poddar Group. With more than three decades of experience spanning infrastructure, investments, project finance, business transformation, and general management, he has built a distinguished career leading complex businesses and strategic growth initiatives across multiple sectors.

Prior to joining Zuari Industries, Athar held leadership roles across ICICI, IDFC, Larsen & Toubro, and the Vedanta Group. As a founding member of IDFC, he played a significant role in financing and shaping major infrastructure initiatives across highways, ports, airports, railways, and aviation, contributing to the evolution of India's infrastructure landscape. He later served as CEO of Nabha Power, where he led one of the notable turnaround stories in India's power sector.

Today, he oversees businesses across sugar, ethanol, real estate, and engineering while guiding strategic investments across key sectors within the Saroj Poddar Group. His leadership is centred on building high-performance organisations through talent development, operational excellence, digital transformation, and long-term value creation.