Sudhir Sitapati To Join Godrej Consumer Products As Part Of CEO Succession Plan

Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL) today announced changes to its leadership team, effective October 18, 2021. Sudhir Sitapati will join GCPL as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Nisaba Godrej, currently the Chairperson and Managing Director of the company, will continue to serve as Executive Chairperson. Sudhir’s appointment will enable GCPL to leverage his significant experience in building sustainable and profitable businesses to guide the growth strategy going forward.

Sudhir has spent 22 years at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), where he led teams across categories and functions in India, Europe, South East Asia and Africa to create significant value for the business. He was appointed to the HUL Management Committee as an Executive Director in 2016, making him one of its youngest ever members. Under Sudhir’s leadership, HUL built up its Foods and Refreshments business as one of the largest in India. This included the USD 5 billion merger and integration of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare with HUL, the largest deal of its kind in the FMCG sector in India.

Sudhir is currently the Co-Chair of the CII National Committee of Food Processing and is a past Co-Chair of the FMCG Committee. He has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a B.Sc in Math with Economics Honours from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

Commenting on Sudhir’s appointment, Nisaba Godrej said:

“I am delighted to be welcoming Sudhir to Godrej. His significant experience and passion for building sustainable and profitable brands and businesses aligns very strongly with our purpose at GCPL. Sudhir’s values-based leadership style also makes him a great fit with the Godrej culture. I look forward to his partnership in unlocking the amazing potential of our company and leading its next phase of growth.”

Sudhir Sitapati added:

“It is an honour to have the opportunity to lead a company like GCPL and I am thankful to the Board for the confidence that they have reposed in me. I am very inspired by the legacy of the Godrej Group, and GCPL’s purpose of bringing the goodness of health and beauty to consumers across emerging markets. I am excited about working closely with the talented GCPL team to build on the incredible work they are doing and create sustainable, long-term value for our company.”

Profile: Sudhir Sitapati

Sudhir Sitapati is Executive Director - Foods and Refreshments at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). In his 22 years at HUL, he has led teams across several categories and functions in India, Europe, South East Asia and Africa to create significant value for the business. Sudhir was appointed to the HUL Management Committee as an Executive Director in 2016, making him one of its youngest ever members.

Under Sudhir’s leadership, HUL built up its Foods and Refreshments business as one of the largest in India. This included the USD 5 billion merger and integration of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare with HUL, the largest deal of its kind in the FMCG sector in India.

In his previous roles, Sudhir was instrumental in creating a world-class Tea business for HUL in India and leading HUL’s Soaps business in the country.

A passionate marketer, he has worked closely on internationally acclaimed purpose-led marketing campaigns for some of HUL’s most iconic brands, including Surf Excel’s ‘Dirt is Good’, Lifebuoy’s ‘Have you washed your hands with Lifebuoy?’ on rotis at the Kumbh Mela, and Brooke Bond’s ‘Taste of Togetherness’.

He is currently the Co-Chair of the CII National Committee of Food Processing and is a past Co-Chair of the FMCG Committee. He was also a member of the advisory board of Flipkart in 2015.

Sudhir is the author of the best-selling book ‘The CEO Factory: Management lessons from Hindustan Unilever’. The book is already in its sixth edition and was recommended by the Harvard Business Review as one of the best reads of 2020.

Sudhir has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and a B.Sc in Math with Economics Honours from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.