SUNIL D'SOUZA

Managing Director & CEO

Sunil D’Souza is the Managing Director & CEO of Tata Consumer Products since April 2021. Prior to this, he served as the Managing Director of Whirlpool India Ltd. for four years is credited with having turned Whirlpool into a remarkable growth story in India. Sunil began his career at Hindustan Unilever Ltd. in 1993 and then spent around 15 years at PepsiCo, where he held several leadership roles, handling commercial aspects of the company’s foods and beverages portfolio and successfully leading the business in a large cluster of Asian countries. With 27 years of rich experience, he has strong domain knowledge of the consumer products business with distinct focus on strategy, growth and execution.

Sunil is an engineering graduate and an alumnus of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C).

AJIT KRISHNAKUMAR

Chief Operating Officer

Ajit Krishnakumar joined Tata Consumer Products in January 2020 as Chief Operating Officer and is responsible for business integration and transformation as well as the integrated India operations and B2B businesses. Prior to this, Ajit was a Senior Vice President in the Chairman’s Office at Tata Sons, with responsibilities for strategy, corporate finance and M&A for the consumer and other business verticals. Formerly an investment banker and advisor with companies such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Rothschild & Co., Ajit has advised on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and fund raising assignments across a number of industries and countries.

Ajit holds a post-graduate degree in business administration from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor and has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut.

L. KRISHNAKUMAR

Executive Director & Group CFO

L. Krishnakumar is the Executive Director and Group CFO of Tata Consumer Products. He started his career as a management consultant with A. F. Ferguson and Co. in India and the Middle East. He subsequently worked with Larsen and Toubro Ltd. across multiple functions as General Manager, Finance where he gained exposure to the fields of engineering, information technology, shipping and more.

In 2000, Krishnakumar joined Tata Group in the hotels business as Vice President – Finance and was appointed Senior Vice President - Finance of the erstwhile Tata Tea in India in 2004. During his tenure he has handled different roles for the Company in India and the UK. Krishnakumar is a Director on the Board of NourishCo Beverages, Tata Starbucks and several of the Company’s overseas subsidiaries in addition to Infiniti Retail. He has also been a member of finance forums of CII and Bombay Chamber. Krishnakumar is qualified in Chartered Accountancy, Cost Accountancy and Company Secretarial.

AMIT CHINCHOLIKAR

Global Chief Human Resources Officer

Amit Chincholikar joined Tata Consumer Products in September 2018 and was appointed Global CHRO in December 2018. He moved from Tata Sons where he was Senior Vice President – Group Human Resources. Amit has been with the Tata Group since 2010 prior to which he has worked with Aditya Birla Group and Mercer Consulting across all HR domains including mergers and integration, HR strategy, talent, learning, compensation and business partnership roles. Amit has also worked in several geographies across the world and has lived in India, Singapore and the US.

Amit is a post-graduate from Symbiosis Institute of Business Management. He graduated in science with specialisation in statistics and operations research from the University of Mumbai.

T V SWAMINATHAN

Global Chief Digital Officer

T V Swaminathan joined Tata Consumer Products in March 2021 as Global Chief Digital Officer (CDO) to chart out and execute a digital roadmap for the company. His responsibilities also include enabling the business using digital, enhancing analytical capabilities and leading the development of a digital vision and value proposition.

With 24 years of experience, Swami was previously with Nissan Motors, Japan, as Chief Digital Officer. Prior to this, he has held multiple leadership roles across various businesses in General Electric (GE) and has also been a part of Accenture and Servion Global solutions during his career.

Swami is a post-graduate in computer applications with a bachelor’s in computer science.

ADIL AHMAD

President, International Business

Adil Ahmad joined Tata Consumer Products in 2015 as Global CMO and in 2018 became the President for its International Business. In this role he is responsible for the business performance of the various geographies outside India including the development of a strong portfolio of global brands, improved business growth and profitability, globally driving new products and innovation, and executing on new growth opportunities across markets and regions.

Prior to this, Adil had a 20-year career with Reckitt Benckiser, holding leadership positions across UK, India, Middle East and East Asia, in both strategic and operational roles.

Adil is a graduate from St. Stephens College, Delhi and holds an MBA from Case Western University, Ohio.

DEEPIKA BHAN

President, Packaged Foods (India)

Deepika Bhan joined Tata Consumer Products in May 2021, as President - Foods Business. Prior to this, she spent 15 years at Hindustan Unilever Ltd., most recently as the Global Brand Director where she led the brand development, innovation and communication agenda for the Hair Care portfolio for South Asia.

Having worked on leadership assignments across Sales & Marketing, Deepika brings her rich experience and expertise in brand crafting and communication, driving innovation, building new categories and P&L management combined with a strong understanding of frontline sales. She is particularly passionate about building brands and business with purpose at its heart.

Deepika is an Economics (Hons) graduate from St. Xavier’s’ College and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, Orissa.

PUNIT GUPTA

Senior Vice President, Strategy and M&A

Punit joined Tata Consumer Products in April 2021 and leads the Strategy and M&A function. He is responsible for driving the overall strategy for a sustainable and profitable growth mandate, as well as delivery of new businesses and acquisitions.

Punit has over 16 years of experience across operational and consulting roles including leading and delivering large-scale, complex transformation engagements across India, APAC, Europe and North America. Prior to Tata Consumer, Punit headed business strategy for Samsung Electronics for SouthWest Asia driving strategic initiatives for the smartphone and the consumer durables businesses. Punit started his career in operational roles with Asian Paints and Hindustan Unilever Ltd., where he managed large sales teams across India, spanning more than 40 FMCG product categories like decorative paints, home and personal care, and foods & beverages. During his strategy consulting assignments with Accenture and A.T. Kearney, Punit led 30+ CXO level engagements with cross-functional teams across the globe.

Punit is a Mechanical Engineer from Delhi College of Engineering and holds an MBA from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

VIKRAM GROVER

Managing Director, NourishCo

Vikram Grover joined Tata Consumer Products in 2011 as Marketing Head for South Asia and has played a key role in achieving several milestones for the Company’s branded tea business in India. Now he leads the subsidiary, NourishCo Beverages. Prior to this, Vikram worked across sales, marketing and strategy at Hindustan Unilever Ltd. in India and in Unilever France and Indonesia holding significant roles such as Global strategy and Brand Director.

Vikram holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (IIM-C) and a bachelor’s from Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh.

PRASHANT PARAMESWARAN

Managing Director & CEO, Tata Consumer Soulfull Pvt. Ltd

Prashant Parameswaran is the Managing Director & CEO of Tata Consumer Soulfull Private Ltd since April 2021. In his previous role, he served as the Co-Founder and MD/CEO of Kottaram Agro Foods (Soulfull) for ten years. Under the brand name 'Tata Soulfull', he brought back traditional grains like millets to the modern Indian consumer in a form that is relevant for the 21st century.

With over 20 years of experience, Prashant began his career in 2001 by successfully setting up the distribution, operations and retail business units in India for the Kottaram Group. He has also worked in the US with international firms such as Limited brands and Information Resources Inc., as a Director supporting the Marketing Strategies team at Safeway Supermarkets from their headquarters in California. He led the team in managing revenues and acquiring new business opportunities.

Prashant is an engineering graduate from PSG College of Technology, Tamil Nadu and holds an MBA from Babson College – Franklin W. Olin Graduate School of Business. He is a Member of the Young Presidents Organisation (YPO), Bangalore Chapter and was an active Round Tabler in Bangalore and Cochin until 2020.

NAVANEEL KAR

Head, Sales (India)

Naveneel Kar leads the Sales function in India for the Foods and Beverages portfolio. He joined Tata Consumer in August 2019 from ITC Limited where he spent 16 years managing multiple roles across Sales, Marketing, Strategy and Category Management. In his last role he served as General Manager – West with responsibility for Sales across channels, Logistics, HR and Industry affairs, managing a team of 500 people and generating a turnover of Rs. 5,000 Crores. His career coincided with the diversification of ITC from a single category company to a diversified FMCG organisation. He contributed significantly to the launch and scale up of the Foods businesses in ITC as Category Manager, helping establish S&D and Category Management processes. He was also the Brand Manager for Sunfeast Biscuits and played a key role in the expansion of the biscuits portfolio.

Navaneel has also worked as a Manager with Tata Motors, joining them as a Graduate Engineer Trainee (GET) from Delhi College of Engineering. He holds an MBA from XLRI, Jamshepdur.

PUNEET DAS

President, Packaged Beverages India & South Asia

Puneet Das joined Tata Consumer Products in November 2017. He was appointed President – Packaged Beverages (India & South Asia) in April 2021 with oversight of the Tata Cha business as well. Prior to this, he was Senior Vice President – Packaged Beverages, India where he played a key role in strengthening the core Tata Tea brand and sub-brands.

Puneet brings about 20 years of experience in the FMCG industry in India and other international markets such as the Sub-Saharan African region, Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. He has held senior marketing positions in Marico, Pepsico, GSK Consumer and has worked on iconic brands such as 7Up, Boost and Horlicks among others. He also had a brief stint with Ola before moving to Tata Consumer. A respected marketer and award winner, Puneet has been recognised as ‘Marketer of the Year 2020’ by Brand Equity. com, Pitch ‘Best CMO award’ for excellence in purpose-driven marketing (2020 & 2019) and is amongst the Super 30 CMO Honour Roll 2020 for the trailblazing work in marketing the Tata Tea portfolio.

Puneet is a graduate from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi, and holds a post-graduate diploma in management (MBA) from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

GAURI RAO

Global General Counsel

Gauri Rao joined Tata Consumer in December 2020 from the Group Legal team at Tata Sons. As Global General Counsel, Gauri handles legal affairs and strategy for the India and International business. In her previous role at Tata Sons, Gauri worked with several Tata companies on strategic transactions across many sectors including telecommunications, financial services and aviation. Prior to joining Tata Sons, she worked with Herbert Smith Freehills in London and at Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. in New Delhi. Gauri has extensive experience in the areas of mergers & acquisitions, finance, securities laws, project management and disputes, across multiple geographies.

Gauri holds a dual degree in legal studies and laws from Government Law College, Mumbai University. She also has a master’s degree with distinction from Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford.

VIKAS GUPTA

Global Head, R&D

Vikas Gupta was appointed Global Head of R&D for Tata Consumer Products in June 2020. He began as Head of Product Innovation for India in 2013 and was appointed Head of Global NPD in 2017 for the beverages business. Vikas has played a key role in achieving successful launches of innovation projects for the tea and coffee category globally.

Vikas brings diverse experience of the Food & Beverages industry with demonstrated leadership capabilities in New Product Development, Cost Innovation and Supply Chain to develop and launch innovation projects. Previously, he spent almost a decade in GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Limited across R&D and Supply Chain functions and 3 years with Hindustan Unilever Ltd. in the R&D function.

Vikas has a master’s in Food Technology from the Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysore and is a graduate in Horticulture from University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan, Himachal Pradesh.

CHACKO P. THOMAS

Managing Director & CEO, Tata Coffee Limited

Chacko P. Thomas joined Tata Coffee Limited in 2015 as Executive Director and Deputy CEO, where he led the operations and strategic management of the plantations and later the instant coffee division. He was then appointed its Managing Director and CEO in April 2019. His stint with the Tata Group began in 1992 as an Assistant Manager in erstwhile Tata Tea. He was associated with the South India Plantations Division of Tata Tea, now known as Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company (KDHP) in Munnar, for about 23 years. After his many roles in plantation management, he headed the business diversification when in 2012, he was appointed as Managing Director of KDHP.

Chacko has been part of the steering committees of various industry bodies like UPASI, KPA, etc. He has also served as a nominee director of Tata Consumer on the board of Watawala Plantations, Sri Lanka and is currently on the boards of KDHP and Eight O Clock Coffee, USA.

Chacko holds a degree in science with specialisation in computer science from the University of Jodhpur. He is also an alumnus of INSEAD Fontainebleau (France) following the completion of their Advanced Management Program.