D Mart stands as one of India’s most recognized and dependable retail supermarket chains, serving millions of households with daily essentials, groceries, and home goods at value prices.
While shoppers across the country are familiar with the bright green storefronts, the company behind this vast network is Avenue Supermarts Limited. Avenue Supermarts Limited owns, operates, and expands the D Mart brand across India. At the helm of this retail enterprise is Kalpana Unadkat, who serves as the current Chairperson of Avenue Supermarts Limited, effective April 1, 2026.People often confuse the role of the D Mart chairman with the company founder, owner, or day-to-day executive leader. In corporate structures, these roles serve distinct purposes.
Radhakishan Damani is the revered founder and promoter who built the core philosophy of D Mart. Meanwhile, Anshul Asawa serves as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, steering ongoing commercial execution.
Understanding who leads the boardroom reveals how corporate governance shapes one of India’s favorite retail success stories.
Who Is the Current Chairman of DMart?
Kalpana Unadkat is the current Chairperson of Avenue Supermarts Limited, the corporate parent of D Mart. Her full legal name is Kalpana Unadkat, and her formal corporate designation is Chairperson and Independent Director of Avenue Supermarts Limited. She officially took charge of the position on April 1, 2026, succeeding Chandrashekhar Bhave after a smooth leadership transition approved by the Board of Directors on March 14, 2026.
Before stepping into the role of Chairperson, Kalpana Unadkat had already built a deep association with Avenue Supermarts as an Independent Director on its board. Her familiarity with the company’s ethos, strategic priorities, and compliance framework made her appointment a natural progression for corporate stewardship.
Why do so many people look up the title “D Mart Chairman” instead of “Avenue Supermarts Chairperson”? For the general public, consumers, and even retail investors, the retail brand name D Mart is synonymous with the corporate entity Avenue Supermarts Limited.
Because Avenue Supermarts is the listed parent company that owns and operates every D Mart store, the public refers to the head of the company’s board as the D Mart chairman. In legal filings and corporate reports, her official title remains Chairperson of Avenue Supermarts Limited.
What Is the Role of the D Mart Chairman?
The role of the Chairperson of Avenue Supermarts Limited is focused on boardroom governance, long-term direction, and stakeholder protection rather than daily supermarket management.
The primary responsibilities of the Chairperson include:
- Leading the Board of Directors: Presiding over board meetings, establishing meeting agendas, and ensuring that discussions remain structured, constructive, and forward-looking.
- Fostering Open Dialogue: Encouraging every independent and executive director to contribute diverse viewpoints before major corporate decisions are finalized.
- Upholding Corporate Governance: Ensuring the company adheres strictly to the regulations set by the Securities and Exchange Board of India and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- Evaluating Long-Term Strategy: Reviewing expansion roadmaps, capital allocation proposals, and corporate initiatives submitted by the executive leadership team.
- Promoting Accountability: Monitoring the performance of executive management to make sure company goals align with shareholder expectations.
- Protecting Stakeholder Interests: Balancing the priorities of retail customers, institutional and retail shareholders, employees, suppliers, and regulatory authorities.
- Bridge Between Board and Management: Maintaining an active, constructive line of communication between the board of directors and senior executives.
- Risk Oversight: Reviewing enterprise risks, legal compliance, internal audit reports, and statutory frameworks to protect company value.
It is important to emphasize that the Chairperson does not manage daily store inventory, staff rotas, or local supplier contracts. Day-to-day retail operations are handled by the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, and executive leadership teams across regional centers.
Kalpana Unadkat’s Professional Journey and Experience
Kalpana Unadkat built her distinguished career step by step across top international commercial centers and legal practices:
- Early Legal Qualification and International Practice: After completing her rigorous legal qualifications, she gained admission as a solicitor in both India and the United Kingdom. She relocated to London to join Ashurst LLP, an elite global law firm. During her ten years at Ashurst, she advised multinational enterprises on complex cross-border investments and headed the firm’s dedicated India practice.
- Senior Partnership at Khaitan and Co: Following her international tenure in London, she joined Khaitan and Co as a Senior Partner. In this capacity, she guided domestic and multinational conglomerates through complex mergers, corporate restructuring, regulatory compliance, and joint ventures across multiple economic sectors.
- Board Advisory and Independent Directorships: Her legal and strategic insight led to independent board appointments across diverse commercial organizations. Companies such as Eris Lifesciences and TVS Motor Company sought her expertise to strengthen their boardroom stewardship, audit oversight, and risk frameworks.
- Appointment to the Avenue Supermarts Board: Kalpana Unadkat joined Avenue Supermarts Limited as an Independent Director. Her quarter-century of legal expertise enabled her to provide balanced guidance on risk assessment, corporate disclosure practices, and commercial ethics.
- Elevation to Chairperson: Recognizing her strong leadership and track record on the board, the Board of Directors approved her elevation to Chairperson on March 14, 2026, with the official term starting April 1, 2026. Her comprehensive legal background gives Avenue Supermarts an experienced leader capable of navigating modern corporate governance.
How the DMart Chairman Supports the Company’s Growth
The growth of a major retail network requires clear board-level guidance along with sharp on-the-ground operational execution. Avenue Supermarts operates with an asset-heavy model, owning many of its store locations, maintaining a lean cost structure, and offering low everyday prices. The Chairperson supports this long-term model in several critical ways:
- Strategic Direction: Setting clear parameters for sustainable expansion so that store network additions do not compromise financial stability.
- Corporate Integrity: Maintaining clean corporate governance standards that protect investor confidence and institutional trust.
- Capital Discipline: Reviewing major capital expenditure plans to ensure that cash reserves are deployed wisely.
- Balanced Physical and Digital Expansion: Guiding the coexistence of physical D Mart hypermarkets and the growing D Mart Ready online delivery model.
- Regulatory Navigation: Providing guidance as retail policies, labor regulations, digital commerce rules, and packaging compliances evolve.
- Customer-Centric Preservation: Helping management keep its focus on consumer value, low overheads, and debt-free operational efficiency.
The Chairperson leads policy and oversight, while Managing Director and CEO Anshul Asawa and the operational managers execute real estate acquisitions, retail supply chains, and customer service. This separation between board oversight and daily operations ensures long-term checks and balances.
Conclusion
Kalpana Unadkat has served as the Chairperson of Avenue Supermarts Limited since April 1, 2026. With over 25 years of experience in corporate law, governance, and international transactions, she brings strong leadership to the board. While Radhakishan Damani remains the founder and promoter, Unadkat guides the company’s governance, long-term strategy, and sustainable growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Who is the real owner of DMart?
Avenue Supermarts Limited owns and operates DMart. Radhakishan Damani founded the company and remains its main promoter. However, public and institutional shareholders also own shares in the company.
Q2. Who is the current chairman of DMart?
Kalpana Unadkat is the current Chairperson of Avenue Supermarts Limited, the company that operates DMart. She took office on April 1, 2026.
Q3. Is Radhakishan Damani the chairman of DMart?
No, Radhakishan Damani is not the current chairman of DMart. He is the founder and promoter of Avenue Supermarts Limited. Currently, Kalpana Unadkat serves as the Chairperson.
Q4. What are the responsibilities of the DMart chairman?
The DMart Chairperson leads the Board of Directors and manages board discussions. In addition, the Chairperson reviews long-term plans and supports good corporate governance. The role also involves protecting the interests of shareholders, customers, and regulators.
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