Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) on Wednesday, February 7, announced changes and appointments in its management that will come into effect on April 1, 2024. Kartik Chandrasekhar, who had announced earlier that he would join the HUL Management Committee as executive director, personal care, on April 1, has decided to quit Unilever. Madhusudhan Rao, Executive Director, BPC, HUL, will oversee the business in the interim until the new executive director, personal care, HUL is announced.
Shiv Krishnamurthy will become the executive director, foods and refreshment, replacing Srinandan Sundaram, who will take charge as the executive director, homecare, HUL. Sundaram will replace Deepak Subramanian, Executive Director, Homecare, HUL, who is taking a new role overseas. Subramanian, in his current role, led both the fabric care and home & hygiene categories, delivering robust volume growth and premiumisation, the company said in a release. He has also led the sustainability agenda for HUL, helping build an integrated ESG strategy for the company, the release added.
Krishnamurthy, currently vice president, foods and beverages, South Asia, joined HUL in 2000 and has built expertise in marketing in his two-decade-long career. He has also led Lifebuoy and Lux in skin cleansing in India, Radiant (Rin) innovation for homecare in Southeast Asia, and has been leading South Asia’s tea business since 2015. HUL became a market leader in tea in India under his leadership by localising the product mix and building a strong innovation pipeline.
In his current role as executive director, foods and refreshment, HUL, Sundaram has led the competitive growth in the health food and drink business, which has been fully integrated into HUL during his tenure. He has also built the foundation for strong growth in the food business, with existing and new categories, and has led the acceleration of HUL’s agenda on regenerative agriculture and nutritional value in products, as per the release. He is also credited with the tea business having sustained its leadership in the category.
Talking about the contribution of management members mentioned above, Rohit Jawa, CEO and Managing Director, HUL, said, “Shiva is an astute marketeer with strong business acumen and is known to craft great brands. I am glad to welcome him to the HUL leadership team and truly believe that his rich experience in foods and beverages will be of immense help to the business. Srinandan has been a part of the HUL leadership for over seven years and has a strong track record in general management, customer development, and marketing. I am sure he will take the homecare business to new heights.”
Jawa added, “Deepak returned to HUL in 2022 and since then has delivered consistent results in homecare. Under his leadership, Surf Excel crossed the $1 billion milestone. I wish him the very best for his next endeavour.”
Hindustan Unilever Ltd. registered
volume growth of 2% in the quarter ended December 2023, which was flat on a sequential basis and was lower than the 5% volume growth it reported during the same period last year.
(Edited by : Shoma Bhattacharjee)
