Rohit Jawa To Succeed Sanjiv Mehta As CEO At HUL
Jawa has been appointed for five consecutive years from June 27.
Hindustan Unilever Ltd. has named Rohit Jawa as its next managing director and chief executive officer succeeding Sanjiv Mehta.
Jawa, 56, has been appointed for five consecutive years from June 27, according to the company’s exchange filing. Currently, the chief of transformation at parent Unilever Plc., he will be a whole-time director at HUL from April 1 till June 26. Jawa will also take over as president, Unilever South Asia and join as the Unilever Leadership Executive effective April 1.
Mehta, 62, will retire from the company "after a transformational tenure of 10 years at the helm of HUL".
Jawa, who started his career with HUL as a management trainee in 1988, has a proven track record of sustained business results across India, South East Asia, and North Asia, the statement said.
"He has a deep understanding of the business landscape particularly in Asia and has led the transformation of Unilever businesses in China and in Philippines," Nitin Paranjpe, non-executive chairman at HUL, said in the statement. "I am certain that with his astute business acumen, and growth mindset Rohit will take HUL to the next level of performance."
As executive vice president for North Asia and chairman for Unilever China, Jawa led a "significant transformation" of the market into a "competitive, profitable, and consistent business, now Unilever’s 3rd biggest globally", the statement said. He has also been chairman of Unilever Philippines.
"Rohit’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," the statement said.
Mehta, 62, who took over as the MD and CEO of HUL in October 2013, led the company "through a period of sustained growth". HUL crossed the Rs 50,000-crore turnover mark and its market capitalisation surged more than four times from $17 billion to $75 billion, reinforcing the company as one of India’s most valuable businesses, the statement said.
Under Mehta's tenure, the company also underwent 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."