Essel Propack Limited (EPL) on July 2 announced that its Board of Directors has appointed Anand Kripalu as the Managing Director and Global Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective August 18, 2021. He will be replacing Sudhanshu Vats.
Anand Kripalu has over 30 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. Prior to joining EPL, he spent seven years as the MD and CEO of Diageo India, India’s leading beverage alcohol company with $6.4 billion market cap, where he led the transformation of the company. He was also a member of Diageo’s Global Executive Committee.
Before joining Diageo, Kripalu spent almost eight years with Mondelez International (earlier, Cadbury) as the president of the India and Southeast Asia business. He was responsible for accelerating Cadbury India’s performance to deliver 25 percent y-o-y growth in revenue and profit over eight years. Before that, he spent 22 years at Unilever in various general management and sales and marketing roles.
The former Diageo India CEO received his Bachelor of Technology in Electronics from IIT, Madras. He holds an MBA from IIM, Calcutta, where he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award. He has also completed the Advanced Management Program from Wharton Business School.
Commenting on his appointment, Kripalu said: “I am excited to lead EPL, an extraordinary company with global leadership in its segments and a pioneer in innovation and sustainability. It is one of the most successful multi-national consumer companies headquartered out of India. I look forward to working closely with Blackstone, which has a strong record in the B2B2C space, the Board, and the talented and devoted employees of EPL. We are committed to creating value and delight for all our stakeholders – customers, suppliers, employees, and shareholders.”
Davinder Singh Brar, Chairman, EPL, said: “I am delighted to welcome Anand as CEO and Managing Director of the company. Anand has an exceptional track record, a deep understanding of evolving consumer trends, and a unique ability to shape the culture and talent of global organisations. We believe that Anand is the ideal leader for EPL’s next phase of growth."
Amit Dixit, Head of Asia for Blackstone Private Equity and Director on EPL’s board, said: “We are privileged to have Anand join the Blackstone portfolio company family of industry-leading CEOs and Directors. Anand’s credibility with customers in the consumer industry, proven track record as CEO of a large-cap publicly listed company, and experience of driving growth at scale will enable EPL to reach new heights. Importantly, Anand’s people-friendly leadership style and global outlook will energize the team at EPL across the ten countries we operate in. We are excited about this strong addition to the talented management team, which will enable EPL to build leadership bandwidth for its next phase of growth."
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