Mahindra Susten, the cleantech arm of the Mahindra Group and a leading independent power producer (IPP) in India, has appointed Avinash Rao as its new Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, effective September 24, 2025.

 

In this role, Rao will lead Mahindra Susten’s ambitious growth strategy, steering the company towards an expanded and diversified portfolio across the renewable energy value chain.

 

Mahindra Susten is a leader in the renewable energy sector with over 1.6 GW of commissioned projects and a robust pipeline of nearly 3.6 GW across solar, wind, hybrid projects, and C&I (Commercial & Industrial) solutions. The company is also actively building capabilities in emerging areas such as energy storage and integrated renewable energy solutions, setting benchmarks in reliable supply of clean energy, safety, diversity, quality, governance, and ESG practices.

 

Speaking on the appointment, Dr Anish Shah, Group CEO & MD, Mahindra Group, said: “At Mahindra, sustainability and climate action are not just priorities—they are core to our purpose. We are setting benchmarks in ESG and sustainability, and Susten plays a pivotal role in accelerating this vision. With 15 years of legacy in renewable energy and having a diversified portfolio, Susten is well-positioned to lead India’s renewable energy transition. Avinash’s deep expertise across the entire energy value chain—from platform creation to investment and operational excellence—will enable us to create long-term value for our stakeholders while accelerating the transition to a cleaner energy future.”

 

Rao brings nearly three decades of experience across conventional energy, power transmission, and renewable energy sectors. He has the rare distinction of building energy platforms from scratch across multinational utilities, infrastructure funds, and NSE-listed InvITs. Most recently, he served as CEO of Sustainable Energy Infra Investment Managers Pvt Ltd, the Investment Manager to Sustainable Energy Infra Trust (SEIT), India’s largest pure-play Renewable Energy InvIT listed on the National Stock Exchange. Prior to that, he held leadership roles at Edelweiss Alternatives backed Sekura India Management Limited and CLP India, where he was instrumental in building, acquiring, managing and scaling renewable energy businesses to new heights. - TradeArabia News Service