MUMBAI: Coca Cola India has appointed Vikas Gupta as vice president marketing for the India Division that also includes Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives.

Gupta, who will be assuming his new responsibilities from 1 March, will be stepping into Shripad Nadkarni's shoes, who quit earlier this year to start his strategic marketing consultancy and implementation firm.

 
 
Gupta has worked with companies like Brooke Bond and Proctor & Gamble India in their marketing departments between 1984 and 1994. He joined Coca-Cola India marketing team in 1994 and held various portfolios, including brands and regional marketing assignments. He moved to join The Coca-Cola Company's marketing team at Atlanta in 1999 until his return to India last year.
 
 
Making the announcement, Coca-Cola India president and CEO Sanjiv Gupta said, "We are delighted to have Vikas Gupta join as the new vice president marketing and look forward to propelling our marketing success to even greater heights under his leadership."

 
 
Gupta said, "I am excited to return to the Coca-Cola family that continues to create excitement in the markets and has won scores of national and international marketing excellence awards."

Gupta is an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur where he specialised in marketing and finance. Along with excellent marketing competencies, he brings along an excellent knowledge of Indian markets, consumer insights and hands-on experience of having worked with the Coca-Cola system in India and Atlanta.

Coke has invested more than $ 1 billion in its Indian operations, emerging as one of the country's top international investors, employing approximately 6,000 people in India.