Tag: Madhusudan Gopalan

  • LV Vaidyanathan elevated as P&G India CEO

    LV Vaidyanathan elevated as P&G India CEO

    Mumbai: Procter & Gamble (P&G) on Tuesday announced that LV Vaidyanathan will take over as chief executive officer for its operations in India from 1 July.

    Vaidyanathan will take over from Madhusudan Gopalan, who is going to take on an important leadership role within P&G as senior vice president – grooming & oral care, P&G Japan & Korea. During his four-year tenure at the helm of P&G India, Madhusudan led the transformation of the business to consistently deliver sustainable top and bottom-line growth, according to the company.

    An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Vaidyanathan started his journey with P&G in 1995 as an intern and joined the India Sales team straight from campus in 1996. He has more than 26 years of experience across diverse geographies and cultures like India and ASEAN countries including Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. He is currently leading the P&G business in Indonesia as CEO where he has been responsible for industry-leading growth and value creation for the company. Under his leadership, the Indonesian business has transformed to become value accretive for the parent company and has overtaken a formidable competitor in the market by turning around the share gap in the last four years. A passionate advocate for Equality and Inclusion, under his leadership, P&G has achieved the milestone of having 50 per cent women representation in their leadership team, the company shared. Vaidyanathan has also served as the chairman of Indonesia Chapter of US ASEAN Business Council.

    “It is a moment of great pride for me to come back to India and spearhead the P&G business,” said LV Vaidyanathan. “I am looking forward to being back in the market, learning more about the Indian consumers and serving their needs. For us, going forward, it will be important to continue the focus on our strategy which is delivering consistent results. We will continue to drive productivity improvements to fund investments in innovation and help drive balanced top-and bottom-line growth. As a focused and agile and accountable organisation operating at the speed of the market, we will also aim to lead constructive disruption across the value chain in the industry.”

    Madhusudan has been heavily invested in developing young Indian talent and grooming Indian talent for international roles within the company. Under his leadership, the company launched its ‘P&G Suraksha India’ program towards Covid relief where it contributed towards vaccine doses, oxygen concentrators, masks, and sanitizers for the protection of frontline workers and underprivileged communities. He has been instrumental in sharpening the company’s focus on environmental sustainability and P&G recently became one of the first FMCG companies in the country to achieve ‘plastic packaging waste neutrality,’ stated the FMCG major.

    “It has been a great honour to lead the P&G business in India, my home country where I started my P&G career. The four-year journey has been an enriching and rewarding one and I’m proud of what we have achieved together as the India team. I am delighted with the appointment of LV Vaidyanathan as my successor, one of India’s home-grown talents who I firmly believe has the right expertise to lead the growth of our business in India in the years to come. I am confident that he will continue to lead the P&G India business to greater heights and in turn, incrementally contribute to the overall growth for the parent company,” said Madhusudan Gopalan.

    “I want to thank Madhusudan for his outstanding leadership of the India organisation over the last four years and the transformation of the business to delivering consistent balanced growth and value creation,” P&G president for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa Magesvaran Suranjan said. “Not only has his leadership been exemplary to guide the company through the pandemic, but he is also leaving the business well-positioned to win in India for years to come. I am thrilled with LV Vaidyanathan’s appointment as the India CEO, who has been an integral part of the P&G growth story for well over two decades. The moves for both Madhusudan and LV are testament to the strength of Indian talent and India’s importance as a talent factory for P&G globally.”

  • P&G pledges Rs 50 crore for vaccine doses, as Covid2019 batters India

    P&G pledges Rs 50 crore for vaccine doses, as Covid2019 batters India

    Mumbai: As India struggles to combat the record spike in Covid2019 cases, Procter & Gamble (P&G) announced on Monday that it will contribute towards the vaccination of over five lakh Indian citizens by pledging Rs 50 crore in partnership with government and local authorities in India.

    For every P&G employee in India, the company will contribute towards the vaccination of 100 Indians, it said. The FMCG major said it will also cover the vaccination cost of its 5000+ employee force in India, and their eligible immediate family members.

    With as many as 3,52,991 fresh Covid2019 cases and 2,812 deaths, India witnessed a new record high on Monday as the deadly second wave took a toll on the people. This is the fifth straight day that over three lakh cases have been recorded by the country. 

    P&G brands Whisper, Vicks, Pampers, Oral-B, Head & Shoulders and Pantene are partnering in this vaccination drive through their brand programs and will also continue to raise awareness on safety and hygiene in the country.

    P&G Indian subcontinent CEO Madhusudan Gopalan said, “P&G is committed to playing an active role in India’s fight against Covid2019. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, through our #PGSurakshaIndia program, we have stepped up to support the health, safety, and wellbeing of our employees, our consumers and the communities. In the current situation and going forward, vaccines play a critical role in containing the spread of the virus.”

    Contribution towards vaccines will be on top of P&G’s earmarked CSR funds for the current year. Under its #PGSurakshaIndia program, the company will also continue to donate products, in-house manufactured masks and sanitisers specially to aid frontline and essential workers who are tirelessly working to combat the spread of Covid2019.

    The company said it will also continue to leverage its advertising and brand voice responsibly to increase awareness on health, safety and hygiene measures among consumers and the community.

    It has so far donated more than 35 lakh health, hygiene and cleaning products (which include Whisper, Ariel, Tide, Vicks, Pampers etc) to the communities it operates in. P&G stepped up its manufacturing capabilities to produce masks and hand sanitisers to donate more than 15 lakh masks in the country’s fight against Covid2019.

  • P&G ups ad expenses as profit hit by slowing economy

    P&G ups ad expenses as profit hit by slowing economy

    BENGALURU: FMCG player Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Health Care Ltd (P&G) reported 7.6 percent year-on-year (y-o-y) growth in revenue from operations for the quarter ended 30 September 2019 (Q1 2020, quarter or period under review) as compared to the corresponding year ago quarter Q1 2019. P&G’s financial year is between 1 July and 30 June, hence the quarter ended September 30, 2019 is Q1 2020 in the case of P&G.

    During a period in which the world is witnessing economic sluggishness, the company increased its advertising and sales promo spends for the quarter under review by 25.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 104.46 crore from Rs 83.2 crore. The company reported 5 percent y-o-y decline in Q1 2020 in Net profit after tax (PAT) at Rs 136.84 crore as compared to Rs 144.11 crore. EBITDA for the quarter under review declined 5.4 percent y-o-y to Rs 173.55 crore (20.4 percent of operating review) as compared to Rs 183.53 crore (20.2 percent of operating review).

    P&G revenue from operations for Q1 2020 increased to Rs 852.14 crore from Rs 791.80 crore in Q1 2019. Total Income including other income increased 5.9 percent y-o-y in Q1 2020 to Rs 863.16 from Rs 815.36 crore.

    Let us look at the other numbers reported by P&G

    Total Expense in Q1 2020 increased 14.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 681.78 crore from Rs 594.73 crore. Expenses towards costs of raw materials and packaging materials increased 28.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 334.88 crore in Q1 2020 from Rs 260.51 crore. Purchase of traded goods declined 89.2 percent y-o-y to Rs 11.27 crore from Rs 104.27 crore.

    Employee Benefits Expense in Q1 2020 increased 17.5 percent y-o-y to Rs 42.07 crore from Rs 35.81 crore. Finance costs declined 14.3 percent to Rs 0.36 crore from Rs 0.42 crore. Other Expense increased 25.6 percent y-o-y to Rs 185.91 crore from Rs 148.04 crore.

    Company speak

    The company says in a press release that in a challenging market environment, its Feminine Care business registered strong double-digit growth in the quarter, while its Health Care business grew ahead of the market.

    P&G managing director Madhusudan Gopalan said, “In a challenging macro-economic environment our focus on raising the bar on superiority, improving

    productivity, and strengthening the organisation culture has enabled us to deliver sustained growth during the first quarter. We will continue to remain focused on these strategies in line with our aim to drive balanced sales and profit growth.”

  • Procter & Gamble concludes first ‘Women Business Empowerment Program’ in India

    Procter & Gamble concludes first ‘Women Business Empowerment Program’ in India

    MUMBAI: Procter & Gamble (P&G) Indiaalong with its partner WEConnect International recently concluded the Women Business Empowerment Programin India. 20women entrepreneurs, who were selected via an application processgraduated fromthe four-week program aimed at developing capability of women entrepreneurs. As part of the program, P&G conducted training andworkshops with real-time case studies covering various aspects of building a sustainable business including professional skillslike consumer engagement, digital marketing, legal and tax system, effective communication etc.Taking this a step further, the holistic program also provided women entrepreneurs access to business opportunities with P&G and its partners. Through the holistic Women Business Empowerment program, 25% of participants secured business opportunities with P&G and its partners.

    The training sessions and workshops were mentored by senior leaders from P&G and prominent women leaders and entrepreneurs from across industries includingRicha Arora, COO, Consumer Business, TATA Chemicals; Simran Hoon, Executive Vice President – Viacom18; Poorvi Chothani, Founding and Managing Partner, LawQuest; Prof. Vineeta Dwivedi from SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR); Richa Pai,FMCG Merchandising head, Aditya Birla Retail Limited; Aarti Bindra, Managing Director, ACPL Systems Pvt Ltd.; Kalpana Anantraman, CEO, Avion Systems and Gauri Sawant, transgender activist and Managing Trustee, Sai Savli Foundation and Founder ‘Aaji Cha Ghar’. 

    Procter & Gamble (P&G) India has committed itself to sourcing US$30 million from women-owned businesses across India over the next three years. This initiative to support women entrepreneurs is built on P&G’s global commitment to promote greater gender equality in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

    P&G India Sub Continent,CEO, Madhusudan Gopalan said, “We are delighted to conclude the first edition of the Women Business Empowerment program (WBEP). Through this initiative, we conceiveda holistic capabilityplatform which will help women entrepreneurs build their businesses sustainably. This initiative is in line with our global commitment to empower women-owned businesses which is an important aspect of our citizenship efforts. We are committed tosource US$30 million from women-owned businesses across India over the next three years. Through this commitment, we believe, we will not only be able to stimulate economic growth but also bring about a social change via empowering women entrepreneurs.” 

    Gender Equality is a priority focus area of P&G’s Citizenship efforts. P&G has been steadily working to improve gender equality by leveraging its unique strengths in partnership and collaboration with industry stakeholders. P&G has also announced a series of measures designed to support a push towards gender equality across the Indian Subcontinent, Middle East and Africa region and the recent initiative in India is another strong statement in that direction.

  • Madhusudan Gopalan becomes MD, CEO of P&G India

    Madhusudan Gopalan becomes MD, CEO of P&G India

    MUMBAI: P&G India has announced Madhusudan Gopalan as the company’s new managing director and CEO. He will take charge on 1 April 2018.  

    Gopalan has over 18 years of experience working for the company across business units and diverse geographies such as India, the US and Asean countries. 

    Gopalan is currently leading the P&G business in Indonesia, where he has led strong sales growth, share turnaround, robust value creation and cash productivity. He will take over from Al Rajwani, who is set to retire from the company after 37 years of service after the end of the financial year. Until his retirement, Al will help in on-boarding Madhusudan on the India business and enable a smooth transition. 

    During Rajwani’s tenure, over the last three years, the P&G business in India underwent a portfolio transformation that saw the company go from losing money to delivering triple digit-profit in a couple of years. In the first half of the company’s  financial year ended December 31, 2017, P&G has delivered double-digit sales growth with majority of the business growing share. 

    P&G continues to be the market leader in most of the segments it operates in like baby diapers, blades and razors, feminine care, shave prep, health care, anti-ageing skincare, and is number two in shampoos and toothbrushes.