Sona BLW board appoints Jeffrey M. Overly as chairperson after Sunjay Kapur’s demise

Sona BLW Precision Forgings Ltd (Sona Comstar) has announced the appointment of Jeffrey Mark Overly as the new Chairperson of its Board of Directors, and Priya Sachdev Kapur as an Additional Non-Executive Director.

Overly, who has served as an Independent Director on the board since February 2021, was reappointed for a second term of five consecutive years at the board meeting held on 30 April 2025.

His term will run till 11 February 2031, subject to shareholder approval at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. The board has now appointed him as Chairperson.

The company noted that Overly has maintained a 100 percent attendance record for all board and committee meetings over nearly five years, and has consistently contributed to deliberations and decision-making, despite being based in a different time zone.

He is currently an Operating Partner in the Corporate Private Equity Group at Blackstone, based in New York, where he advises portfolio companies on Lean Operational Excellence and supply chain improvements.

Before joining Blackstone in 2008, Overly was Vice President of Global Fixture Operations at Kohler Company, and earlier spent 25 years at General Motors and Delphi Corporation in senior operations and engineering roles.

The board also approved the appointment of Priya Sachdev Kapur as an Additional Non-Executive Director with effect from 23 June 2025, based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. Her appointment is subject to shareholder approval.

She has also been appointed as Chairperson of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee and as a member of the Environment, Social and Governance Committee.

These appointments follow the sudden demise of former chairman Sunjay Kapur. The board had earlier expressed its condolences and said his legacy would continue to inspire the company. Kapur, 53, passed away from a heart attack while playing polo in the UK.