Until his appointment, he had served as the head of finance at ALAF Tanzania since August 2021.
Manish Ranjan has taken on the role of head of plant control and operational efficiency at Mabati Rolling Mills, a subsidiary of Safal Group. He will also be responsible for group tax and treasury support.
The move comes after a nine-year stint as head of finance at ALAF Tanzania and Ethiopian Steel, both subsidiaries of Safal Group.
“I am looking forward to achieving sustainable competitiveness and profitability by minimizing costs, investing in innovation aimed at long term viability and growth in a rapidly evolving competitive environment,” he said.
Manish began his career in 2003 as a finance executive at Challenge Manufacturing, a manufacturing start-up in India. He rose up the ranks at several listed companies in India including Ballarpur Industries and Punj Lloyd, where he gained experience in planning, reporting, compliance and governance.
He became senior manager for finance at Sunflag Iron & Steel in New Delhi in June 2010, which proved pivotal for his career in Africa. The following year, he was transferred to Sunflag Group’s Textile operations in Kenya as financial controller. In 2012, he took on the role of general manager for projects and finance and led the acquisition of a state-owned textile mill in Ethiopia.
He joined Safal Group in 2016 and has led various projects over his stints in Ethiopia and Tanzania, including an expansion project for setting up a colour coating line in Tanzania.
He holds a degree in economics from Lalit Narayan Mithila University. Manish is also a chartered accountant and cost accountant with certifications from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and the Institute of Cost Accountants of India.
