With over two decades of leadership across manufacturing, building materials, infrastructure-linked industries, and consumer businesses, Sony Thayil has built a strong reputation for scaling businesses, driving market expansion, and leading large commercial transformations across India and international markets.
Over the course of his career, he has worked across sectors including glass, sanitaryware, PVC downstream products, paints, FMCG, and consumer durables, holding leadership mandates focused on business growth, premiumisation, operational scale, and profitability improvement. His experience spans leading organisations such as Asahi India Glass Limited (AIS), Jaquar & Company Private Limited, Hindware Limited, CEAT Limited, AkzoNobel, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., and Nestle India.
A large part of Sony’s leadership journey has been shaped within the building materials ecosystem, where he has worked extensively across specification-led businesses involving architects, developers, contractors, institutional buyers, and large channel networks. His approach has consistently focused on building scalable business structures while strengthening long-term market positioning.
During his tenure at Asahi Glass (AIS), he led the business across India, SAARC, and Middle Eastern markets, helping scale revenue from ₹611 crore to ₹1,002 crore while driving significant profitability growth over a three-year period. He also played a key role in repositioning the business towards premium and specialised solutions, strengthening the company’s presence across high-value market segments.
At Jaquar Group, Sony was instrumental in scaling the sanitaryware business into one of the leading players in the category, overseeing a ₹700 crore portfolio and a nationwide dealer ecosystem. Across leadership assignments, he has consistently worked on greenfield expansion, institutional growth, channel architecture, and business transformation initiatives across competitive industries.
Alongside commercial leadership, Sony has also been actively involved in integrating AI-powered forecasting, CRM automation, and digital commercial tools into enterprise-scale business operations. His leadership style combines operational discipline with a forward-looking approach towards technology-led business transformation.
With experience spanning large P&L mandates, multi-market operations, and business-building leadership across diverse sectors, Sony J. Thayil continues to bring a strategic and execution-driven perspective to India’s evolving manufacturing and infrastructure landscape.