Abanti leads Public Policy & Regulation, Sustainability and Risk functions for the Mahindra Group. She serves as Director on the Board of Mahindra Electric Automobile Limited, Mahindra Last Mile Mobility Limited, Mahindra Defence Systems Ltd., Mahindra Aerospace Pvt. Ltd., and CIE Automotive, Spain. She is also Member of the Executive Council of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and Co-Chair of the FICCI Committee on Environment & Climate Change for 2024.

Prior to joining Mahindra, Abanti was the Chief Strategy and Corporate Affairs Officer and member of its Executive Committee at Diageo India. As Head of Strategy, she led the strategy development and execution for Diageo’s business in India. Prior to this, Abanti was Managing Director, Diageo India Pvt Ltd, leading Diageo’s business mandate for international spirits in India.

Abanti joined Diageo in June 2010 as the Marketing and Innovation Director responsible for building Diageo’s iconic global brands like Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, VAT 69, and Cîroc.

Prior to Diageo, Abanti served as a member of the Tata Administrative Service (TAS) cadre since 1992 in an illustrious career where she held key roles managing some of the best-known consumer brands of the Tata Group in India, United Kingdom, and the United States. In her 17-year career with the Tata group, Abanti worked across various companies such as Tata Global Beverages, London, the Taj Group of Hotels- Mumbai & New York, Tata Housing & Tata Finance in Mumbai.

Abanti’s contribution to business has been recognized by Fortune India (The Most Powerful Women in Business; 2012, 2014, 2015 and 2016), IMPACT (50 Most Influential Women in Media, Marketing and Advertising; 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017), India Today (India’s 25 Most Influential Women, 2013) and Fast Company, New York (100 Most Creative People in Business, 2012).

Abanti is an Economics Graduate from St. Stephen’s College, University of Delhi, and an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad.