Brands
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages elevates Gaurav Chaturvedi
MUMBAI: Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, the company owned bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company in India, has appointed Gaurav Chaturvedi as the new Human Resource vice president.
Chaturvedi is currently the zonal VP, operations, Andhra Pradesh, the largest zone for HCCBPL in sales terms.
Chaturvedi will take charge from 15 April and continue to report to HCCBPL CEO T Krishnakumar. This is the first time in two decades since Coca-Cola’s re-entry into India that a senior operations manager has been designated to take over the Human Resource responsibilities in the company. Chaturvedi replaces P V Ramna Murthy, who has decided to pursue opportunities outside the company.
Speaking on the appointment, Krishnakumar said, “The bottling business is exemplified by intense operations where people are the most important asset and hence it helps to have a person who has worked through operations to be head of the people’s function. Gaurav has spent 16 years in various parts of operations of HCCB and hence is an excellent fit to manage the people’s function and take it to the next level of excellence”.
Chaturvedi joined Coca-Cola in 1997 and over the last 16 years has held positions of responsibilities across functions and geographies. During the course of his career with the Coca-Cola System in India, he has headed a large plant (Wada), a sales territory (Nasik), two bottling units (East UP and West UP), and set up the Operational Excellence function across the country.
As a part of the vision 2020 for India, HCCBPL is focusing on becoming a world class organisation, building a culture of execution excellence and driving returns.
India is a key growth market for The Coca-Cola Company and the company envisages India as amongst the top five markets at the end of 2020. India is currently, the seventh largest market for The Coca-Cola Company, globally.
Brands
Radico Khaitan appoints Kunal Madan as chief marketing officer
Promotions signal focus on premium spirits, global expansion and homegrown leadership
UTTAR PRADESH: Radico Khaitan has elevated two long-serving insiders to its top leadership team, signalling a bold push into premium spirits and global markets. Kunal Madan steps in as chief marketing officer, while Sudhir Upadhyay takes charge as chief sales officer, both part of what managing director Abhishek Khaitan calls a consciously built next-generation leadership bench.
“At Radico Khaitan, our growth has always been powered by people,” Khaitan said. “True leadership is not imported, it is cultivated.” He added that empowering internal talent ensures continuity while keeping the company globally competitive and future-ready.
Madan, with over 20 years of experience across global sales and marketing, will drive brand architecture, marketing strategy, and the premiumisation agenda, including travel retail. Upadhyay, who has 25 years in the industry and was most recently national sales head, will oversee distribution expansion and execution across markets.
The leadership reshuffle comes amid Radico’s intensified focus on premium spirits, a segment driving higher margins and international growth. Last year, Ajay Kakkar was brought on to head the Premium On-Trade vertical, targeting modern and institutional channels to boost presence in high-growth segments.
Meanwhile, Amar Sinha stepped down as chief operating officer after contributing across multiple growth phases. Khaitan acknowledged Sinha’s role in supporting the company’s trajectory, while Sinha described his tenure as “an absolute privilege,” crediting Khaitan’s leadership for shaping the company’s strategic direction.
With a homegrown leadership bench and a clear premium agenda, Radico Khaitan is set to accelerate its global expansion while doubling down on brand elevation and market impact.
