Blue Star announces board reshuffle; Sam Balsara to retire, M S Unnikrishnan joins board, Mohit Sud elevated as executive director

Blue Star has announced a series of board-level and senior management changes, including the appointment of M S Unnikrishnan as an independent director, the reappointment of B Thiagarajan as managing director, and the elevation of Mohit Sud to executive director, as part of a broader leadership transition plan.

The company also confirmed that Sam Balsara, chairman of Madison World and an independent director on Blue Star’s board, will retire at the end of this month.

Sam Balsara to step down after two terms

Sam Balsara will retire from the Blue Star board on January 31, 2026, after completing two consecutive terms as an independent director.

He first joined the board in June 2017 and was reappointed for a second term in June 2022. During his tenure, Balsara played an active role in providing strategic marketing insights and contributed significantly to the company’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee, according to the company.

M S Unnikrishnan appointed independent director

Blue Star said M S Unnikrishnan has been appointed as an independent director for a term of five years, effective January 29, 2026.

Unnikrishnan currently serves as head and chief executive officer of the IITB-Monash Research Academy. He previously held the position of managing director at the Thermax Group, bringing extensive experience in industrial leadership and technology-driven businesses to the board.

B Thiagarajan reappointed managing director

The board has reappointed B Thiagarajan as managing director for a further term beginning April 1, 2026, through May 24, 2027.

Thiagarajan has been associated with Blue Star since 1998. He was appointed joint managing director in 2016 and assumed the role of managing director in April 2019, overseeing the company’s expansion across cooling solutions, engineering projects and commercial refrigeration segments.

Mohit Sud elevated to executive director role

Mohit Sud has been elevated to the position of executive director, Unitary Cooling Products, for a five-year term starting April 1, 2026.

Sud joined Blue Star in March 2025 as group president, Unitary Cooling Products, and has been responsible for leading the company’s core air-conditioning and cooling appliances business.

With these changes, Blue Star said it aims to ensure leadership continuity while strengthening its board and executive management team as it pursues its next phase of growth in the competitive cooling and engineering solutions market.