MAM
Venkatesh Kini elevated to Coca-Cola India SVP
MUMBAI: Venkatesh Kini, currently VP-marketing – Global Juice, has been appointed as the senior vice president for India region.
To ensure complete and end-to-end focus on the business, all the three core pillars of business growth — Franchise Leadership, Consumer Marketing and Customer and Commercial Leadership — will report to Kini.
Additionally, Neeraj Garg, currently VP providing franchise leadership support to Company Owned Bottling Operations (CBO) in India will assume the responsibility of SWA region and Juice business.
Both these executives will report to Coca-Cola India and SWA Business Unit , president Atul Singh.
The changes in the designation are a part of realignment of the company‘s operating structure.
Coca-Cola India and South West Asia Business Unit comprising key markets – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives has announced a new operating structure in keeping with its business priorities.
Effective 1 October, the Business Unit will organise around two major operating regions: India region and South West Asia (SWA) region constituting of the potential markets of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives.
“India is one of the key growth markets for The Coca-Cola Company and the Business Unit‘s role is critical to the Company achieving its 2020 Vision. We have been growing for the last 24 quarters and the India market is now amongst the top 7 markets for the Company. As we move into the next phase of our journey, we have a solid foundation and necessary momentum in our business. This is the time to take the next step in our evolution. We now need to have the scale and resources to capture latent growth across the Business Unit. Also, keeping in mind the market realities, we need to be more responsive and have a sharper and deeper focus on our business. The new structure lends us stability and robustness and positions us well to capture the latent growth in our markets” Singh said.
“Kini and Neeraj are proven business leaders and I look forward to partnering with them and the rest of my leadership team, Company owned bottling partner (Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd) and the franchise bottlers as we continue our journey towards our 2020 Vision”, Singh added.
This announcement does not impact Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd, the Company owned bottling operations in India.
Kini is serving the company since over 14 years now. He has more than 20 years of experience in India and US, in marketing, sales and general management roles.
Vikas Chawla who will assume the responsibility of VP- operations, providing franchise leadership support to the company owned bottling operations (CBO) and to all the franchise bottlers in India, will report to Kini.
The Emerging Markets business led by Sanjiv Gupta and Commercial Beverages business led by Shourov Mukherjee, will also report to Kini. To continue focus on retailer training and capability building, through the Parivartan program and other similar initiatives, the Coca-Cola University led by R. C. Datta too will report to Kini.
MAM
HUL appoints Pavan Bedi as CMO for Foods business
Veteran marketer with 22-plus years at Unilever takes charge of foods portfolio in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: HUL’s foods division just got a seasoned flavour boost because when it comes to seasoning success, Pavan Bedi knows exactly how to stir the pot. Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has elevated long-time leader Pavan Bedi to chief marketing officer for its Foods business, the company confirmed on 23 February 2026. Bedi, who has spent over 22 years with the FMCG giant, shared the news himself on LinkedIn, writing: “I’m delighted to share that I will be stepping into a new role as CMO Foods, HUL”.
Before this Mumbai-based appointment, Bedi served as global brand vice president for more than four years. His career is dotted with high-impact global roles: he was global brand director for Pond’s (based in Singapore), driving innovation across South Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, led the high-profile rebranding of Fair & Lovely to Glow & Lovely as global brand director; and spent six years shaping Lifebuoy’s “Purpose agenda” and “Social Mission”, forging public-private partnerships with the United Nations and other platforms.
Now overseeing HUL’s sprawling foods lineup from staples to snacks and everything in between Bedi steps into one of the company’s most dynamic verticals at a time when consumer tastes are evolving fast. His track record blending global scale, brand transformation, and purpose-led marketing makes him a natural fit for steering strategic growth and creative campaigns in the category.
In his LinkedIn post, Bedi underscored his enduring commitment to Unilever’s vision, framing the move as another chapter in a career built on long-term impact rather than quick wins.
For an organisation that thrives on trusted, household names, Bedi’s elevation is less a surprise and more a reminder, the best recipes for growth often come from ingredients that have been simmering for over two decades. Whether it’s rebranding icons or building purpose at scale, he’s now tasked with making sure HUL’s foods business stays as appetising tomorrow as it is today.
