Brands
Wagh Bakri appoints Bhawesh Thakar as Chief Digital & Information Officer
Ahmedabad: Wagh Bakri Tea Group has hired a heavyweight for its digital ambitions. Bhawesh Thakar has joined the tea major as chief digital and information officer, tasked with sharpening its technology spine and turning data into competitive edge.
Thakar arrives with more than 25 years in IT across FMCG and consumer businesses, bringing a mix of infrastructure depth, security oversight and business-facing technology leadership. At Wagh Bakri, he will work with the leadership team on digital transformation, data-led decision-making and technology capabilities aligned with growth plans.
Announcing the move, Thakar said he is keen to collaborate closely with the company’s leadership to drive transformation and harness data. He credited mentors, colleagues and teams across his career for shaping his outlook as a technology and business leader, and said he looks forward to contributing to Wagh Bakri’s legacy of trust and innovation while engaging with partners and the wider tech community.
Before the switch, Thakar spent over seven years at AWL Agri Business Limited, where he led IT infrastructure and security and also handled governance, risk and compliance as chief information security officer. His remit covered large-scale infrastructure, security verticals and enterprise controls.
Earlier, he held multiple roles at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, including head of devops and national head for IT solutions engagement and delivery. There he partnered the supply-chain function, scoped and delivered enterprise IT solutions and helped shape a future digital supply-chain vision. He also managed ERP roll-outs across Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and led solution design across warehousing, transportation, production and planning streams.
His longer stint at the Coca-Cola bottler included roles as business solution lead and national manager for back-office applications, where he worked on demand forecasting, supply planning, customer replenishment and warehouse systems. As regional manager for IT operations in the south, he oversaw infrastructure services across states and drove early ERP and pre-sales automation projects. His career began on the ground as a plant IT head and earlier as a service engineer handling network and server support for large clients such as Castrol.
Thakar’s stated career focus has been techno-commercial leadership: long-term IT strategy, simpler and sharper business solutions, and new systems to manage complex operations. His toolkit spans strategic technology planning, global IT delivery, programme management, ERP implementation, data-centre management, supply-chain solutions and leadership communication.
For Wagh Bakri, the hire signals a push to modernise a legacy brand. For Thakar, it is another large platform. And in a consumer market where even tea competes on technology, the kettle is clearly on the digital boil.
