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The Board of Directors of V-Guard Industries Limited, one of the leading FMEG companies in India, has appointed Mithun K. Chittilappilly as Chairman and Managing Director, effective Monday, September 27th.

Chittilappilly, who held the position of Managing Director since 2012, will take on the additional responsibility of Chairman upon the completion of Radhi Unni's second and final term as Chairman and Independent Director.

Mithun joined V-Guard in 2006 as an Executive Director. When he started working at the company, the turnover was approximately 229 crore rupees. By the 2026 financial year, this figure increased 24 times to reach 5,966 crore rupees. Over the last two decades, he has played a key role in transforming the company from a South Indian electrical brand into a large, diversified consumer giant covering all of India.

Since joining V-Guard in 2006, Chittilappilly has made significant contributions to expanding the company's geographical reach, diversifying its portfolio, and growing production, substantially strengthening the brand in the Indian consumer electronics and electrical goods market.

During his tenure, V-Guard's workforce grew from approximately 575 employees in 2006 to 11,350 employees as of August 2026, reflecting the scale of growth and organizational transformation.

Currently, V-Guard operates 15 manufacturing facilities across seven states in India and boasts a diversified portfolio of over 20 categories, demonstrating the company's evolution from a regional electrical brand to a broader consumer goods manufacturer.

His period of service has also been marked by a comprehensive corporate transformation in areas such as branding, customer service, supply chain, sales and marketing, human resources, and finance. Through these transformation projects, V-Guard has evolved from a people-dependent organization to a process-oriented company, thereby strengthening its systems, capabilities, and workflows.

The company has received numerous national and global recognitions, including workplace practice awards. V-Guard was included in Newsweek and Statista's 'Most Trusted Companies in the World 2025' list and was named 'Best Employer in India 2025' by TIME magazine.

In terms of design, V-Guard has won five Red Dot Global Design Awards, further underscoring its commitment to innovation and design. The company has also maintained Superbrand status in the voltage stabilizer category for five consecutive years, indicating consistent trust and strength in the V-Guard brand. The company continues to maintain a low employee turnover rate, which speaks to high employee engagement and a positive corporate culture.

Commenting on his appointment, Chittilappilly stated: 'It is a great honor and privilege for me to take on the responsibility of Chairman and CEO of V-Guard Industries at such a pivotal moment in the company's history. Over the past two decades, I have been fortunate to witness and contribute with my team to the transformation of V-Guard from a regional brand into a strong, growing pan-Indian organization. As V-Guard approaches its 50th anniversary, I view this milestone as an opportunity to build upon our solid foundation and prepare the organization for the next stage of growth.'

His career path—from Executive Director in 2006 to Managing Director in 2012, and now Chairman and Managing Director in 2026—mirrors V-Guard's own evolution into a diversified, pan-Indian company. He assumed the duties of Chairman and Managing Director on September 27, 2026.

V-Guard Industries Limited is a leading manufacturer of consumer electronics and electrical goods in India, based in Kochi. As a publicly listed company, it recorded a revenue of ₹5,577.82 crore in the 2025 financial year and has a presence across the country with 35 branches and over 100,000 distribution channel partners.

Founded in 1977 by Kochuseppam Chittilappilly to manufacture and sell voltage stabilizers, the company has grown into a significant force in the Indian electrical and electronic goods market. Over the past 48 years, the company has built a strong brand and aggressively diversified, becoming a multi-product company with a portfolio that includes voltage stabilizers, inverters and batteries, electric water heaters, solar water heaters, pumps and motors, domestic distribution boards, wires and cables, fans, modular switches, air coolers, and kitchen appliances.

The decision made by the company's CEO in Bangalore has sparked active discussions on social media. The company head announced that his organization will no longer hire men coming from the states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh. The reason for this step was an incident involving a former employee.

Kartik S.G., founder and CEO of A1 Sports World, published the information on the social network X on September 22. He stated that this decision was made after extensive internal discussions within the company. In his post, Kartik named the mentioned states—Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh—and announced the refusal to hire men from these regions.

Kartik also noted that a female employee from Rajasthan works at the company and supported this decision. Following the publication of this post, the public began raising questions about the justification of such a decision.

After criticism on social media, Kartik provided additional information regarding the motives behind his decision. According to him, about two weeks ago, one employee was fired. This employee was from one of the four listed states. The CEO accused him of repeatedly violating decency towards female employees, despite two warnings.

Kartik asserted that this employee had attempted to commit violence against a female employee. He emphasized that since the company employs young people, ensuring team safety is his highest priority. According to Kartik's statement, the dismissed employee held a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, and during the resume submission and background check, he appeared as a candidate with a clean and ordinary history.

However, the company insists that behavioral problems started manifesting approximately two months after starting work. After incidents of alleged disrespect towards female employees, he was issued warnings, but the situation did not change. Kartik stated that the safety of his team and young workers is more important than running the business.

In his post, the CEO shared some data about the company's personnel. According to his information, the company employs a total of 32 people, 14 of whom are women. He also mentioned that the employees represent various states. Of these, 20 people came from other states, and 12 of them are not residents of the southern Indian states. Kartik added that his company collaborates with people of different religions and backgrounds.

The CEO's decision caused heated comments on social media. Some users felt that the responsibility for improper behavior should lie with the employee himself, and that excluding an entire group of candidates from an entire state is an incorrect approach. Others questioned the link between the behavior of a specific person and their home state. Meanwhile, part of the public supported the CEO's concerns regarding the incident and staff safety. Currently, this issue has provoked a wide discussion on social media about hiring, employee protection, and the correlation between a person's behavior and their region of residence.