Brands
Coca-Cola crowns Kaustuv Gupta with African strategy assignment
GURUGRAM: From Gurugram to Gauteng, and from fizz to full throttle. Kaustuv Gupta has cracked open a new chapter at The Coca-Cola Co, taking charge as senior director, strategy – Africa operations, one of the beverage giant’s most sprawling and complex theatres.
Gupta’s new remit spans 54 African countries, a portfolio where demographics are young, competition is thirsty and growth is anything but flat. Based in Johannesburg, he will shape strategy for a region that Coca-Cola views as both a proving ground and a long game.
The appointment caps an eight-year run inside Coca-Cola’s strategy engine. Gupta previously led strategy for India and south-west Asia, after steering planning for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and the Maldives. Before that, he handled strategy and insights for the India and south-west Asia business unit — the sort of internal apprenticeship that prepares executives for bigger maps and harder calls.
Before Coke, Gupta was part of Zomato’s breakout years, helping scale the business and launching Zomato Gold, the loyalty play that rewired how urban India ate out. Earlier stints include a bruising, boots-on-the-ground role as regional sales manager at Castrol India (BP group) and a brief spell in media planning at Mudra Communications — giving him a rare blend of strategy, sales and media literacy.
An alumnus of MDI Gurgaon, where he was a gold medallist in marketing, and Hindu College, Delhi University, Gupta also moonlights as a guest lecturer, teaching product management and marketing — proof that PowerPoint is not his only export.
Africa is no soft drink. It is fragmented, fast-growing and fiercely local — a continent where strategy has to travel light and execution has to sweat. Coca-Cola clearly believes Gupta has the fizz, the formula and the stamina.
From delivery bikes to bottling plants, from India to Africa, this is one career that refuses to go flat.
Brands
Pernod Ricard, Chivas Regal parent, in talks for possible India IPO: Bloomberg
Deliberations in early stage, with no decision taken so far
PARIS: Pernod Ricard is evaluating a potential stock market listing of its Indian business, according to a Bloomberg News report citing people familiar with the matter.
The French drinks group has begun discussions with prospective advisers to assess the feasibility and merits of a separate public listing for Pernod Ricard India. The deliberations are at an early stage and no final decision has been made.
India is one of Pernod Ricard’s most important growth markets. The company is among the country’s largest alcoholic beverage players, selling premium global brands such as Chivas Regal and Absolut Vodka, and competing closely with Diageo across premium and mass-market segments.
The reported move comes as Pernod Ricard navigates heightened regulatory scrutiny in India. The group is facing antitrust proceedings and is also contesting allegations by authorities in New Delhi over potential violations of local liquor regulations. Pernod Ricard has denied any wrongdoing.
In the market, Pernod Ricard’s Paris-listed shares are up nearly 12 per cent so far this year, valuing the group at about $24.4 billion. That recovery follows a bruising 2025, when the stock lost close to a third of its value.
A separate India listing, if it materialises, could help unlock value from a fast-growing business, even as the group works through legal and regulatory challenges in one of its most strategically important markets.
