Bacardi's Madhavan second Indian to head a global liquor giant

Mahesh Madhavan, who hails from Kerala and grew up in Mumbai, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Bacardi, the world's largest family-run spirits company.Madhavan, 54, is currently the Bermuda-headquartered company's top executive for Asia, the Middle East and Africa, and will replace Michael Dolan as CEO from April next year. The elevation will make him the second Indian to leader a global liquor giant after Ivan Menezes took the reins of Diageo in 2013.In his 20-year stint with Bacardi, Madhavan has steered the company across emerging markets like Philippines, Thailand, India, Africa and the Middle East."I would have never imagined about leading such a historic company, when I joined two decades ago. I never saw this as a job but as my own company and believed in being a part of the family," Madhavan, who currently works out of Dubai, was quoted as saying by The Times of India.Bacardi manages premium brands such as Grey Goose vodka, Bombay Sapphire gin and Dewar's whisky. In all, it owns a portfolio of 200 brands produced from 29 manufacturing locations globally.Madhavan is best known for bringing Smirnoff vodka to India and played a major role in building the white spirits category during the 1990s.
Madhavan started his career with Mazagon Dock and also worked with Tata Electric apart from a stint in the consumer goods sector with Wipro and FCB Ulka.