Who is Rohit Jawa? Know more about the new MD & CEO of Hindustan Unilever

Rohit Jawa has been appointed as the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) on Friday and will succeed Sanjiv Mehta who will retire from the company after leading it for a decade. 

Jawa, presently the Chief of Transformation for Unilever, would take over the leadership role for a term of five years with effect from June 27, 2023, the company said in a statement. 

"The appointment of Rohit Jawa as a whole-time director and MD & CEO will be subject to approval of Shareholders and other statutory approvals as may be applicable," it added. 

Jawa will join HUL board as a whole-time director from April 1, 2023. 

Besides the Indian market, he will also take over as President of Unilever South Asia.

Jawa’s journey in HUL 

Jawa is currently the Chief of Transformation for Unilever in London where since January 2022, he has successfully orchestrated the once-in-a-decade, end-to-end transformation of Unilever. 

He started his career with HUL as a management trainee in 1988 and has a proven track record of sustained business results across - India, South East Asia, and North Asia. 

As EVP for North Asia & Chairman for Unilever China, he led a significant transformation of Unilever China into a competitive, profitable, and consistent business, now Unilever's third biggest globally, the statement said. 

Further, as the Chairman of Unilever Philippines, he led the business to become one of the top 10 markets for Unilever globally. Rohit's ability to integrate the strength of traditional markets with digital technologies and future-fit business models, positions him well to take HUL into its next growth phase. 

Commenting on the development HUL Chairman Nitin Pranjape said: "I am delighted to welcome Rohit back to India. He has a deep understanding of the business landscape, particularly in Asia and has led the transformation of Unilever businesses in China and in the Philippines. 

Hindustan Unilever Led (HUL) is India's largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods company, For the financial year ended on March 31, 2022, HUL which owns power brands as Rin, Surf Excel, Dove etc has a revenue of Rs 51,193 crore. 

Besides, the HUL board also announced the appointment of Ranjay Gulati as an Independent Director of the company for a term of five consecutive years with effect from April 1, 2023. 

Gulati comes with a rich understanding of Business Strategy and is presently a Professor at Harvard Business School, said an HUL statement.