Mumbai, May 11: StarAgri, India’s largest integrated agritech company, has announced the appointment of Ms. Upma Goel as a Non-Executive, Independent Director on its Board. She joins a distinguished Board of industry leaders, including Dr. Bibhuti Bhusan Pattanaik, who serves as Independent Director & Non-Executive Chairperson, and Ms. Mangala Prabhu, Non-Executive Independent Director.
Ms. Goel is a Chartered Accountant and an Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs (IICA) certified Independent Director, with over three decades of extensive experience across banks, NBFCs, and diversified financial institutions. Her areas of expertise include board governance, audit and risk oversight, capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, enterprise risk management, and regulatory compliance. She also brings significant experience in overseeing technology-led transformation initiatives, including finance digitisation, enterprise system integration, and data-driven risk and reporting frameworks. In her capacity as Non-Executive, Independent Director, she will play a strategic part in overseeing StarAgri’s business governance and risk management, while bringing independent judgment to the Board’s decision-making.
Ms. Goel succeeds Mr. Chandrashekar Guruswamy Aiyar, who served StarAgri’s Board as Non-Executive, Independent Director for a decade. His cessation is in accordance with provisions of the Companies Act 2013, which limit an independent director’s tenure to two consecutive five-year terms. The Board thanks Mr. Aiyar for his significant contributions to the organization’s growth during his tenure.
Commenting on her appointment, Amith Agarwal, Co-founder & CEO, said:
“We are pleased to welcome Ms. Goel to the Board. Her deep experience in financial governance, risk oversight, large-scale transformation; and leadership experience with some of India’s most respected brands will add strategic value as StarAgri enters its next phase of growth. Her guidance will strengthen our commitment to robust governance, transparency, and accountability, ensuring that our growth ambitions are matched by discipline and integrity.”
Previously, in her executive career, Ms. Goel has held senior leadership positions at Piramal Enterprises, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, and L&T Finance Holdings. She has led financial strategy, capital allocation, IPO execution, and M&A transactions, and has been closely involved in post-merger integration, including technology and systems alignment.
Commenting on her new role, Ms. Goel said:
“As the sector plays an increasingly vital role in the nation’s development, I look forward to working with the Board and management to support the Company’s strategic objectives and contribute to strengthening governance and risk management frameworks.”
Ms. Goel currently serves as an Independent Director on the Boards of Religare Finvest, Care Health Insurance, Agriwise FinServ, and FarmersFortune (India), and is also a Director on the Board of Star Agriwarehousing and Collateral Management Limited.
