Brands
HUL’s Shiva Krishnamurthy moves to General Mills as India CEO
MUMBAI: General Mills has tapped Shiva Krishnamurthy as chief executive officer for India, roping in a seasoned FMCG operator from Hindustan Unilever as it sharpens its focus on the world’s fastest-growing food market.
Krishnamurthy, most recently executive director, foods & refreshment at HUL, will report to Balki Radhakrishnan, vice-president and managing director, global emerging markets. The appointment hands General Mills a leader with more than two decades of experience across marketing, brand-building and general management.
Announcing the move, Krishnamurthy said he was “delighted to join the General Mills mission of making food the world loves”, pointing to the company’s iconic brands, food science capabilities and talent depth. He said the business was well placed to capture the India opportunity and that he looked forward to building on the groundwork laid by earlier leaders.
Looking back at his HUL stint, Krishnamurthy called the company his “professional alma mater”, often dubbed the “CEO factory”. He credited former and current leaders, including Sanjiv Mehta, Sudhir Sitapati, Hanneke Faber and the late Anil Gopalan, for shaping his leadership journey.
Radhakrishnan said Krishnamurthy’s consumer-first mindset and people-centric leadership aligned closely with General Mills’ India ambitions and values. “He brings the right blend of brand acumen and talent leadership for our next phase of growth,” he said.
Krishnamurthy joined HUL in 2000 and held a series of senior roles across India and South-east Asia. He led marquee brands such as Lifebuoy and Lux in skin cleansing, drove Rin innovation in home care, and headed Unilever’s South Asia tea business from 2015. Over the past decade, HUL consolidated its position as the market leader in tea under his watch.
An alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur, Krishnamurthy began his career with a short stint at PepsiCo before joining HUL as an area sales manager.
For General Mills, the hire signals intent. For HUL, it marks another senior exit from its deep leadership bench. For India’s packaged food market, the heat just got turned up.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
