Britannia appoints Rakshit Hargave as CEO and Executive Director

Biscuits pass along a conveyor belt after being baked at the Britannia factory in New Delhi

Britannia Industries has appointed Rakshit Hargave as its new Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director for a term of five years, effective 15 December 2025.

In a filing to the stock exchanges, Britannia said, “The Board of Directors of the company at their meeting held today, have approved the appointment of Rakshit Hargave as an Additional Whole-Time Director and Chief Executive Officer, designated as Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company for a term of 5 years, subject to the approval of members of the company.”

Before joining Britannia, Hargave served as the Chief Executive Officer of Birla Opus, the paints venture of the Aditya Birla Group.

A veteran in the consumer goods sector, Hargave previously headed the ASEAN and ANZ operations of Beiersdorf, the German skincare company that makes NIVEA, after leading its Africa operations and serving as Managing Director of NIVEA India.

His earlier roles include stints at Hindustan Unilever as Sales and Marketing Director, Kimberly Clark Lever, and Lakme Lever as Chief Operating Officer. He also worked with Jubilant Foodworks, where he was involved in launching the well-known Domino’s Pizza 30-minute delivery guarantee model. Hargave began his career with Tata Motors, later joining Nestlé India. He holds an MBA from the Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi, and a degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT Varanasi.

Hargave’s appointment follows the exit of Rajneet Kohli, who resigned as Chief Executive Officer of Britannia in March 2025. Following his departure, Managing Director and Executive Vice-Chairman Varun Berry had taken over additional responsibilities as interim CEO from May 2025.

The change at Britannia comes at a time when several fast-moving consumer goods companies have witnessed leadership transitions this year. At Hindustan Unilever, Priya Nair was appointed as the new CEO in August 2025. Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, India’s largest bottler of Coca-Cola, also announced a leadership change, with Hemant Rupani taking over as CEO effective September 2025.