Reckitt’s Narasimhan joins as CEO of Starbucks
Starbucks has roped in Pune-born Laxman Narasimhan as the multinational coffee chain’s chief executive officer (CEO), becoming its first Indian-origin CEO. Narasimhan recently stepped down as the CEO of the hygiene and health products company Reckitt Benckiser, makers of the Dettol brand. He will relocate to Seattle from London, join Starbucks on October 1, and is expected to work with Starbucks’ interim CEO, Howard Schultz, before assuming office on April 1, 2023. The new role pushes Narasimhan a notch higher in net worth than in his previous role, as he will now steer the $100 billion (£87 billion) Starbucks against Reckitt Benckiser, valued at £45billion. Market insiders have indicated that Narasimhan is likely to earn about $17.5 million (Rs 140 crore) annually if he reaches his targets, a whopping amount compared to his £6 million (Rs 55 crore) annual payouts from Reckitt Benckiser last year. He will be responsible for Starbucks’ revitalization plan for the company’s beverage production and workforce management. In 2019, Narasimhan joined the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate Reckitt and took charge of its subsidiary Mead Johnson which faced a $16.6 billion takeover threat. He single-handedly drove the company during the pandemic and sold some of Reckitt’s underperforming assets, which saved the company. Before joining Reckitt, Narasimhan worked with PepsiCo as its global Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and led its operations across Europe, Latin America, and Sub-Saharan Africa. In his earlier stint before PepsiCo, he was a senior partner at McKinsey & Co. Narasimhan, was born in Pune in 1967 and is an alum of the College of Engineering Pune (COEP) Technological University. He has a Master’s degree in German and International Studies from the Lauder Institute under the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Krishnamurthy Venkata SubramanianSubramanian to represent India as Exe Director IMF
Krishnamurthy Venkata Subramanian, the former chief economic advisor (CEA), has been appointed as India’s Executive Director at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) from November 1, 2022, or until further orders. The appointments committee of the cabinet has approved Subramanian for the Executive Director’s (India) post for a 3-year tenure. A finance professor at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Subramanian succeeds Surjit S. Bhalla, who has held the distinguished IMF director’s post since 2019. Bhalla’s tenure has been curtailed up to October 31. Subramanian was the youngest serving CEA to the Government of India from 2018 to 2021. He is a prominent name in the Indian banking sector and has served on the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) expert committee on banking governance. In previous stints, he has also served as a member of the Board of Directors at Bandhan Bank and the National Institute of Bank Management.
Santosh IyerIyer appointed MD & CEO of Mercedes Benz India
Santosh Iyer becomes the first Managing Director and CEO of Indian origin to helm Mercedes-Benz India, effective, January 1, 2023. Iyer is currently the Vice-President (VP) of Sales & Marketing and succeeds Martin Schwenk, who will move on as President and Chief Executive Officer of Mercedes-Benz Thailand. Iyer was appointed as Vice President, Sales & Marketing in July 2019 and has been instrumental in the company’s digital transformation and is known to have delivered one of the best online sales penetrations in India. He conceptualized and implemented the industry benchmark ‘Retail of the Future’ business model and laid a strong foundation in data analytics. Iyer pioneered online sales for Mercedes Benz India, with a market share that has exceeded 15 % of the car major’s total sales. He held several leadership roles within the company, including Vice President for customer services and retail training, in 2016. Iyer kick-started his journey with Mercedes-Benz India in 2009 and has several executive positions, and has been lauded for strengthening the company’s position in India.
Swathi ArurSwathi Arur amongst global health leaders at the 2023 NAM
Swathi Arur, professor, and deputy chairperson of Genetics at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center is one of the selected 2022 Emerging Leaders in Health and Medicine Scholars (ELHMS) by the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). Swathi is the first M.D. Anderson faculty appointed to the NAM since 2016. The distinguished leaders in the health sectors will collaborate over a 3-year term. The NAM ELHMS forum, to be held in Washington, D.C., April 18-19, 2023, will enable the scholars to engage in interdisciplinary discussions and shape NAM priorities on pressing medical challenges, health improvement policies, and inclusive health equity. Swathi displayed her passion for healthcare improvement during her undergraduate days at the University of Delhi (1991-1994), where she began an NGO focused on better healthcare for HIV-infected children. Her laboratory, established in 2010, utilizes multidisciplinary approaches impacting nutrition for women and fertility, primarily the onset and progression of metastatic cancers. Her germ cell and cancer biologist background has benefitted collaborative and interdisciplinary research approaches. She has helped increase the number of students from historically excluded backgrounds pursuing STEM fields at M.D. Anderson and the University of Texas. She has gained several career accolades. In 2020, she was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She has been designated co-chairperson (2023) and chairperson of the Gordon Research Conference (2025) in Developmental Biology. She was the M.D. Anderson Presidential Scholar (2016), Andrew Sabin Family Fellow (2017), distinguished faculty mentor (2018), and Presidential Honoree for Education and Mentorship Advancement (2022).
Juan Pablo RodriguezJuan Pablo Rodriguez is CEO of Hindustan Coca-Cola
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) has appointed Juan Pablo Rodriguez as its General Manager and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective September 2022. His most recent role at HCCB before the promotion was that of the Chief Commercial Officer for the Bottling Investments Group (BIG). Rodriguez will succeed Chairman and CEO, Neeraj Garg, slated for retirement in 2022. As CEO, he will ensure that HCCB strives and achieves its desired growth. Rodriguez’s leadership has helped attain significant growth and transformation of HCCB’s channel strategy. A Coca-Cola veteran for 22 years, he has a proven track record of leading teams and endorsing sustainable growth across markets. He joined the team as a seasoned leader with experience across developing and developed markets. His leadership will ensure that HCCB continues to win through capability building and portfolio innovation. He is focused on manufacturing capabilities and distribution footprint but is also committed to its people, community work, and sustainability. He is an alum of the Texas McCombs School of Business.
Priya Thakur SinghPriya Thakur Singh joins Tim Hortons
Priya Thakur Singh joins as Chief People Officer (CPO) with Tim Hortons India, a Canada-based fast-food restaurant company. She has close to 15 years of experience as an HR professional. Before joining Tim Hortons, she was the Group Head of HR. She is an experienced HR Professional with nearly 15 years of experience. Before joining Hortons, she was associated with Innoterra as Group Head of HR and responsibly led the team. She had complete insights into the company’s culture, capability, and capacity. A catalyst for Innoterra’s sustained business, Priya ensured that HR strategies and plans were actionable. Previously, she has worked as Director - HR at JW Marriott, AVP - HR (Business Partner) at CignaTTK Health Insurance Company, Senior Manager - International HR and M&A at Essar Group, and Team Head - International HR at Pidilite. Priya has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Mumbai and a master’s degree in Business Administration from NMIMS Global.
Dr. Hraadyesh Kumar NamdeoJWDr. Hraadyesh Kumar wins the Entrepreneur of the Year award
The Entrepreneur of the Year award has been conferred on Dr. Hraadyesh Kumar Namdeo at the 62 National Summit for Atmanirbhar Bharat Vision of New India. He has been endorsing equity amongst the human race and actively expressing his ‘One World’ revolution globally, which is expected to fulfill individual lives. Popularly known as HK, he has been working on his dream project to create a new global business league offering for the next generation. He has popularized his ‘One World’ revolution and visionary roles as a trusted advisor, visionary entrepreneur, lifestyle coach, and accomplished investor. His ‘One World’ revolution is based on research that concludes that human beings comprise one big family but spread across the globe. His idea believes that social constructs, including colour, caste, creed, gender, cities, countries, religion, and money, are merely mass manipulation by a select few. He holds a scholarship from the Government of India, ChPM (USA), ICFA (London), and MFP (USA).
Amit BurmanChange of guard at Dabur India
Amit Burman, chairman of Dabur India Ltd, has resigned and has handed over the baton to his cousin and vice-chairman Mohit Burman. Mohit Burman, the former non-executive vice-chairman, has been appointed as the non-executive chairman for five years. Amit will continue as a non-executive director. Company insiders indicate personal health reasons for Amit stepping down. Amit, son of late Gyan C. Burman, had steered Dabur’s foray into the foods business under the juices category under the Real brand. Amit Burman took over as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Dabur Foods in 1999 when the company forayed into the processed food business. After the merger of Dabur Foods and Dabur India in 2007, he stepped down as the CEO of Dabur Foods and was appointed as the vice-chairman of Dabur India. In 2019, Amit took charge as the chairman of Dabur India Limited. He successfully established allied food retailing businesses under Lite Bite Foods, which operates restaurant brands including Punjab Grill and Zambar.
Petrus Johannes Theodorus ElbersFormer KLM stalwart helms IndiGo airlines
Petrus Johannes Theodorus Elbers has taken charge as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IndiGo (InterGlobe Aviation Limited) effective September 6, 2022, and succeeds Ronojoy Dutta. Elbers joins almost a month earlier than the initial schedule of October 1. The board of directors of the parent company, InterGlobe Aviation Limited, had approved his appointment on May 18, subject to regulatory clearances. The former president and CEO of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines since 2014 is a member of the executive committee of the Air France-KLM Group. He started his aviation career in 1992 with KLM at the Schiphol hub and has held several managerial positions in the Netherlands and across Japan, Greece, and Italy. He returned to the Netherlands, steered the Dutch airlines as the senior Vice President of network and alliances, and was promoted to CEO in 2011. He joins IndiGo when the Indian aviation industry is limping back to normal after the Covid onslaught.