Brands
Spirits marketer Renu Yadav swaps Grey Goose for homegrown gin
MUMBAI: Renu Yadav has traded the global sophistication of Grey Goose and Bombay Sapphire for the patriotic promise of Vanaha Gin, becoming marketing lead at Revelry Distillery in a bet that Indian spirits can conquer international palates.
Yadav’s departure from Only Much Louder, where she shepherded premium Bacardi brands including Patron tequila, signals her confidence in homegrown distilling. At Revelry, she will champion Vanaha Gin, a craft spirit that founders Vaniitha Jaiin and Navvin Jaiin position as India’s answer to the global gin renaissance.
The move caps a decade-long love affair with the spirits industry that began somewhat accidentally. Yadav’s immersion in the alcoholic beverages world through Bacardi’s portfolio awakened what she describes as her “passion for building brands that create not just products, but experiences.”
Her career trajectory reads like a route map in modern marketing evolution. From co-founding agency Notch It UP to producing content for Condé Nast India, Yadav has bounced between entrepreneurship and corporate roles with characteristic restlessness. A stint at Extento Experiences, where she managed experiential marketing for premium alcohol and lifestyle clients, provided the final polish to her spirits credentials.
Yadav’s appointment comes as Indian craft distilleries eye international expansion, riding a wave of global curiosity about subcontinental flavours. Her dream of opening her own bar remains on hold, but this role represents what she calls “a big step in that direction.”
Revelry Distillery will be banking on her knack for creating memorable brand experiences—a skill honed through years of managing everything from live activations to trade marketing. Whether Vanaha Gin can match the marketing panache of its international rivals remains to be seen, but Yadav’s track record suggests the spirit has found a formidable champion.
Brands
UltraTech Cement appoints Jayant Dua as managing director
Dua will succeed K. C. Jhanwar after his term ends in December 2026
MUMBAI: UltraTech Cement, the flagship cement arm of the Aditya Birla Group, has elevated Jayant Dua as managing director, effective 1 April, 2026.
The company’s board also approved his appointment as additional director, managing director and key managerial personnel, effective 1 January, 2027, following the completion of the current managing director K C Jhanwar’s term on 31 December, 2026, according to a regulatory filing.
Dua will serve as managing director for a four-year term from 1 January, 2027 to 31 December, 2030.
A veteran executive with more than 37 years of professional experience, Dua joined the Aditya Birla Group’s cement business in 1996 and spent nearly a decade in various functional and leadership roles.
Over the past two decades, he has held several profit-and-loss and chief executive responsibilities across multiple group businesses, including insulators, insurance, Century Cement and the chlor-alkali segment. In 2023, he was elevated to lead the group’s renewables and textiles businesses.
Within the group, Dua has received several internal honours, including the chairman’s individual award for exceptional contribution in 2002, the outstanding leader award in 2009 and the leader of leaders recognition in 2022.
He holds an engineering degree from Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, an MBA from International Management Institute and has completed the advanced management programme at Harvard Business School.
