Mumbai: On Friday, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL)announced that Rohit Jawa will be the new managing director and CEO from 27 June 2023 and will join the company as CEO and whole-time director from 1 April 2023.
Jawa will also take over as president of Unilever South Asia. He will join the Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE) effective 1 April, 2023. After a transformational tenure of ten years at the helm of HUL, Sanjiv Mehta will retire from the company.
Rohit Jawa is currently the chief of transformation for Unilever in London where since January 2022, he has successfully orchestrated the once-in-a-decade, end-to-end transformation of Unilever. Starting his career with HUL as a management trainee in 1988, he has a proven track record of sustained business results across - India, South East Asia, and North Asia.
As EVP for North Asia & chairman for Unilever China, he led a significant transformation of Unilever China into a competitive, profitable, and consistent business, now Unilever’s third biggest globally. As the chairman of Unilever Philippines, he led the business to become one of the top 10 markets for Unilever globally.
Jawa’s ability to integrate the strength of traditional markets with digital technologies and future-fit business models, positions him well to take HUL into its next growth phase.
Sanjiv had taken over as the MD & CEO of HUL in October 2013 leading the business through a period of sustained growth. During his decade at the helm, the business crossed the 50 thousand crore turnover mark and the market capitalisation of the company increased more than four times from $17 billion to $75 billion, reinforcing HUL as one of India’s most valuable businesses.
At the heart of Mehta’s success mantra has been the proposition of long-term value creation anchored by growth, high performance anatomy and distinctive capabilities. He introduced several transformative business programmes such as ‘Dial Up the Big Q’ and ‘Winning in Many Indias’ to make the business more consumer-centric, agile, and resilient. To make the business more future-fit, Sanjiv kickstarted the ‘Reimagine HUL’ agenda by leveraging data, harnessing latest technologies and designing business models to redefine how HUL engages with consumers, customers, and the way the business operates.
He has led the business into future growth segments with several strategic mergers and acquisitions such as the amalgamation of GSK Consumer Healthcare into HUL, one of the biggest mergers in the history of FMCG in the country. Under his leadership, various programmes, such as the Hindustan Unilever Foundation, Project Shakti, Project Prabhat and Suvidha scaled new heights, reinforcing his commitment to responsible growth. Sanjiv actively championed the diversity agenda making HUL an even more inclusive organisation.
Thanking Mehta for his immense and sustainable contribution to the business, HUL non-executive chairman Nitin Paranjpe said, “Sanjiv with his foresight has led HUL to become a high-performing and future-fit business. He has been an integral part of the Unilever Leadership executive and has driven the South Asia growth agenda as the president of the market cluster. As the president of FICCI last year, Mehta made a significant contribution towards the industry in India. Through his passion, commitment, and endless energy, he leaves behind a business that is now poised to achieve even greater heights.”
Welcoming Jawa to HUL, Paranjpe, added, “I am delighted to welcome Rohit back to India. He has a deep understanding of the business landscape particularly in Asia and has led the transformation of Unilever businesses in China and in the Philippines. I am certain that with his astute business acumen, and growth mindset Rohit will take HUL to the next level of performance.”
Ranjay Gulati is appointed as an Independent Director on its Board, effective 1 April 2023.
Gulati comes with a rich understanding of Business Strategy and is presently a professor at Harvard Business School. He is an expert on organizational growth and until recently, chaired the advanced management program, the school’s flagship senior leader executive program.
Gulati is the former president of the bnusiness policy and strategy Division at the Academy of Management and an elected fellow of the Strategic Management Society. He has been a Harvard MacArthur Fellow and a Sloan Foundation Fellow.
Gulati holds a Master's Degree in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University. He graduated in Economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University.
Mehta said, “Gulati is a thought leader in the field of business strategy and organisational behaviour. Through his work, he has been developing solutions for organisations that are seeking to grow rapidly in turbulent markets. Gulati upholds the importance of building resilience while also retaining culture and the energy for innovations. I strongly believe that his deep insights will benefit the company immensely.”
Welcoming Gulati, Paranjpe added, “We are delighted to have such an eminent scholar on the Board of the Company. Mr Gulati’s knowledge and deep understanding of cultivating a winning mindset while keeping purpose at the heart, will surely help the Company steer further ahead in its future-fit journey.”
Gulati said, “It is a privilege to join the Board of such an iconic company. HUL is one of the best and most respected consumer goods companies in the country. I look forward to my role as an Independent Director.”
