Brands
Hindustan Unilever reshuffles top brass as ice-cream demerger nears
MUMBAI: Hindustan Unilever is rearranging the deckchairs ahead of its ice-cream divorce. The consumer goods giant announced a clutch of senior management changes on 1 December, with Vandana Suri returning from Indonesia to take charge of its home care division as executive director from 1 January 2026.
Suri, currently general manager for beauty and wellbeing at Unilever Indonesia, will succeed Srinandan Sundaram, who is moving up to become chief executive of Unilever International. She brings two decades of brand-building experience across PepsiCo, Tetra Pak and Nielsen before joining HUL in 2011, where she led the premium laundry portfolio and later drove premiumisation in skin care as vice president for skin care and colour cosmetics.
The reshuffle comes as HUL’s demerger of Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited edges closer to completion. The ice-cream unit has already begun distancing itself from its parent, shifting its registered office from Unilever House in Andheri East to Oberoi Commerz II in Goregaon East on 1st December. Three non-executive directors—Navin Jain, Vinita Nair and Shalini Sinha—resigned from Kwality Wall’s board on 30 November as part of the reconstitution following the scheme of arrangement.
HUL chief executve and managing director Priya Nair praised Sundaram’s nine-year stint on the management committee, crediting him with driving “decisive market share gains” in home care. She expressed confidence that Suri’s “deep understanding of consumers, markets and ecosystems” would propel the division to even greater heights.
The moves signal HUL’s determination to keep its core business firing on all cylinders even as it splits off its frozen desserts arm—a rare moment of corporate surgery in India’s typically stable FMCG sector.
Brands
Sun Pharma to acquire Organon in $11.75 billion deal at $14 per share
Acquisition to create $12.4 billion pharma giant with global scale and biosimilars push
MUMBAI: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Organon & Co. in an all-cash deal valued at $11.75 billion, marking one of the largest cross-border pharma acquisitions by an Indian firm.
Under the terms of the agreement, Organon shareholders will receive $14.00 per share in cash, with Sun Pharma set to acquire 100 per cent of the company’s outstanding shares. The transaction, approved by the boards of both companies, is expected to close in early 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and shareholder consent.
The deal significantly expands Sun Pharma’s global footprint and strengthens its position across women’s health, biosimilars, and branded generics. The combined entity is projected to generate revenues of around $12.4 billion, placing it among the top 25 pharmaceutical companies globally.
Organon, which was spun off from Merck in 2021, brings a portfolio of over 70 products spanning women’s health and general medicines, with operations across more than 140 countries. Its established presence in key markets such as the US, Europe, and China complements Sun Pharma’s existing strengths and growth ambitions.
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited executive chairman Dilip Shanghvi said, “This transaction represents a significant opportunity for Sun Pharma to build on its vision of reaching people and touching lives. Organon’s portfolio, capabilities and global reach are highly complementary to our own.”
Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited managing director Kirti Ganorkar added, “This transaction is a logical next step in strengthening Sun Pharma’s global business. Together, we will become a partner of choice for acquiring and launching new products.”
From Organon’s side, Organon & Co. executive chair Carrie Cox noted, “This all-cash transaction offers compelling and immediate value to Organon stockholders, while positioning the business for continued growth under Sun Pharma.”
Strategically, the acquisition gives Sun Pharma entry into the global biosimilars space as a top 10 player and strengthens its innovative medicines portfolio, which is expected to contribute around 27 per cent of combined revenues. The deal is also expected to nearly double EBITDA and cash flow, supporting long-term deleveraging and investment capacity.
Sun Pharma plans to fund the acquisition through a mix of internal accruals and committed financing from global banks, while maintaining focus on disciplined integration and operational continuity post-merger.
If completed as planned, the deal signals a clear shift in India’s pharmaceutical ambitions, from scale at home to leadership on the global stage, with Sun Pharma positioning itself as a more diversified and innovation-led healthcare powerhouse.
