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.
Brands
Axis Bank named Official Banking Partner of DP World PGTI
Partnership supports all tournaments this season to grow professional golf in India.
MUMBAI: Axis Bank just teed up a hole-in-one partnership because when a bank sponsors golf’s biggest swing in India, even the fairways feel more financially secure. Axis Bank has been appointed Official Banking Partner of the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India (DP World PGTI), strengthening its commitment to sporting excellence and community engagement while backing the growth of professional golf across the country.
Under the partnership, Axis Bank will support all DP World PGTI tournaments this season, contributing to talent development, enhanced tournament experiences and wider fan engagement. The collaboration aligns the bank’s values of precision, discipline and trust with the Tour’s focus on performance and opportunity.
Axis Bank executive director Munish Sharda said, “We are pleased to partner with DP World PGTI as its Official Banking Partner. Golf embodies precision, discipline, and a pursuit of excellence qualities that strongly reflect who we are at Axis Bank. This association also strengthens our engagement with India’s growing premium customer segments, where the sport has a deep and enduring connect.”
Professional Golf Tour of India president Kapil Dev said, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Axis Bank as a Tour Partner of the DP World Professional Golf Tour of India. Partnerships of this stature play a vital role in strengthening the foundation of the Tour, enhancing opportunities for our players, and expanding the sport’s reach across the country.”
Professional Golf Tour of India CEO Amandeep Johl added, “Axis Bank’s strong legacy of excellence, innovation, and nationwide reach aligns perfectly with DP World PGTI’s goal to elevate professional golf in India and provide greater opportunities for our players.”
In a sport where every stroke counts and every partnership drives distance, Axis Bank isn’t just backing golfers, it’s investing in the fairway to future, turning India’s greens into a stage where precision meets passion and every drive has the power to inspire.
