Meet Nitin Paranjpe, HUL's new chairman

Nitin Paranjpe, the 59 years old FMCG industry leader, is making a comeback in the Indian landscape. As the Hindustan Unilever board today decides to segregate the roles of its chairman and managing-director-cum-chief-executive-officer from March 31, Paranjpe – a seasoned industry executive is set to be back at the firm that he used to nurture till 2013.

So, who is Nitin Paranjpe, who will guide the ship at the Mumbai-based FMCG giant?

Born in 1963, Paranjpe is an out and out HUL man. After completing his B.E. degree from Pune’s College of Engineering, he joined the then Hindustan Lever Ltd. (HLL) in 1980s. Since then, Paranjpe’s rise through the ranks is nothing short of a journey that can motivate any management professional. After becoming the head sales for its South India market, Paranjpe assumed the role of vice-president (V-P) for home care business in India and finally the chief executive of HUL and executive V-P for Unilever’s South Asia cluster in 2008.

Five years and many significant milestones later, in 2013 he was given a berth at the Anglo-Dutch FMCG major Unilever’s global headquarters at London as the president of its global home-care business. Paranjpe was also inducted at Unilever Executive Leadership council. After serving as the President of Unilever’s food and refreshment division, in 2019 the global firm elevated Paranjpe to the position of Chief Operating Officer.

A dyed-in-the-wool consumer goods executive, Paranjpe has not only the expertise and deep understanding of the Indian consumer market but has since carried out global responsibilities successfully.

According to people familiar with his style of operation, his re-entry into the local unit would further boost HUL’s business that is anyway at the able hands of professionals like Sanjiv Mehta. Mehta was not only Paranjpe’s successor as the chairman and MD of HUL, but is well aware of his management style.

“If there is one person in the Unilever system, who can match Sanjiv Mehta – in terms of his understanding of the local market, expertise and stature, that’s Paranjpe,” an FMCG industry veteran, who has closely watched both functioning told Business Today.

Unilever top management’s faith in Paranjpe’s abilities is evident from the fact that after handing over some of the key businesses and the role of the COO, it has also announced him as the chief transformation and chief people’s officer from April 1. And with him, now directly associated with HUL again, along with Mehta (who is also a member of Unilever Leadership Executive council), the local unit’s importance and stature at Unilever is set to grow.