Pai was chosen for his global experience as well as his 'ability to sustain in one company for a very long time,' according to Aditya Birla's head of HR, Santrupt Misra.
Misra believes that Pai's global experience will stand him in good stead in his new role 'as (the) issues that are impacting are global'. With Hindalco and Aditya Birla's other businesses becoming increasingly global in nature, the company 'grooming more global managers', he said.
Pai takes over from Debu Bhattacharya, the man widely credited as the architect of Hindalco's growth.
Whether Hindalco extend Bhattacharya's tenure is not known, but his current term in the hot seat comes to an end next year.