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Coca-Cola India announces top level organisational changes
MUMBAI: Coca-Cola India has announced some key senior leadership changes, aligned with its long term plans of becoming one of the Coca-Cola company’s top five markets (in volume terms) by 2020. The Company is already committed to an investment of $ five billion to further capture growth opportunities in the Indian packaged beverage market.
Announcing the senior leadership changes, deputy business unit president, India and South West Asia Venkatesh Kini said, “As we move into the next phase of our journey in India, we have a solid foundation and the necessary momentum in our business. We now need to have the scale and resources to capture latent growth. Building our talent pipeline and developing people capability is one of our key pillars for success. The new senior level management changes is a step in that direction. The entire team will work closely with our bottling partners to achieve our Vision 2020 goals in India.”
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The following are the key organisational changes effective 1 October, 2013. All these senior leaders of the company will report to Kini. There are no changes in the organisational structure at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, led by its CEO T. Krishnakumar.
Vikas Chawla, currently VP operations, is moving to Athens, taking over as the franchise operations head in South East Europe where he will lead operations for 12 European countries. This is yet another endorsement of the quality of talent in India. He adds to the list of 47 managers that the BU has exported to the global TCCC system.
For a deeper focus on operations and aligned to achieving the business targets for 2020, Coca-Cola India will have two operation leaders going forward.
Sumanta Datta, currently VP – customer and commercial leadership, will take over as vice president, Company Bottling Operations (including Delhi region and national key accounts). He will work closelywith the team at Hindustan Coca-Cola to deliver the volume and profitability targets for Coca-Cola India. Datta has been with the Coca-Cola system since 1995 in a variety of roles in marketing, operations, customer & commercial leadership, strategy in India as well as China. In his most recent role he has helped drive exponential growth in the national key accounts business.
Bhupendra Suri, currently director, franchise operations, is being elevated as vice president – Franchise Bottling Operations. He will work with the 11 franchise bottlers in India and provide leadership and strategic direction to them. Suri has spent 17 years in India in a variety of functional and general management roles, with the company as well as the bottling operations.
Andriy Avramenko, currently VP – juice, will take over as vice president strategy and still beverages. Avramenko has had diverse experiences within Coca-Cola in strategy, mergers and acquisitions, business integration, supply chain and finance. Avramenko has been instrumental in putting the juice brands on a path of sustainable profitable growth in India and SWA over the past two years.
Debabrata Mukherjee, currently vice president, strategy and still beverages, will take on the role of vice president, marketing and commercial. The marketing and commercial roles are being brought together under one head, for a deeper and combined focus on commercial and shopper marketing as well as product commercialisation.
Mukherjee is a veteran of the Coca-Cola system, who joined the company in 1998. He has done a series of marketing and general management roles. He was the head of marketing for the company in Korea before coming back to India in 2011.
Anupama Ahluwalia, currently VP marketing, will take up a short term leadership assignment with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages to get direct experience within our bottling system. Upon completion of the assignment, Ahluwalia will then return to Coca-Cola India. He has led the marketing function for over two years, leading the creation of the iconic crazy for happiness campaign for Coca-Cola, achieved record market shares for the brand and led the company into the forefront of digital marketing by launching the social media center.
MAM
8PM Packaged Drinking Water named Lead Trouser Sponsor for Sunrisers Hyderabad
Brand partners with IPL team for 2026 season with campaign ‘Rise in Orange, Celebrate with Black’.
MUMBAI: 8PM Packaged Drinking Water has found a clever way to stay in the game by hitching its wagon to one of cricket’s most exciting teams. The brand from Radico Khaitan Limited has announced its association with Sunrisers Hyderabad as the Lead Trouser Sponsor for India’s Premier Cricket League 2026. The partnership will see 8PM Packaged Drinking Water gain prominent visibility during the high-energy tournament.
To mark the collaboration, the brand has launched the campaign thought “Rise in Orange, Celebrate with Black.” The idea cleverly links the on-field intensity of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s iconic orange jersey with the off-field celebrations powered by 8PM Premium Black Packaged Drinking Water.
Radico Khaitan Limited chief marketing officer Kunal Madan said, “We are delighted to be associated with Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2026 season. With the league’s unmatched reach and the team’s strong fan following, this is a great opportunity to connect meaningfully with consumers across the country.”
Sunrisers Hyderabad enters the season with a formidable lineup featuring players such as Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, and Pat Cummins, making it one of the most watched teams this year.
A spokesperson from Sunrisers Hyderabad added, “We are pleased to welcome 8PM Packaged Drinking Water to the Sunrisers family. This association brings together shared values of energy, resilience, and excellence.”
The partnership underscores Radico Khaitan’s strategy of aligning with marquee sporting platforms to build contemporary, consumer-centric brands. By tapping into the emotional connect and massive viewership of the league, 8PM aims to deepen engagement and strengthen brand affinity during the cricket season.
In the fiercely competitive world of Indian cricket sponsorships, 8PM has chosen to play it smart, pairing the thrill of orange with the cool refreshment of black. As Sunrisers Hyderabad prepare for another exciting season, the brand is set to ride the wave of passion, performance, and celebration.
