Who is Laxman Narasimhan, the second person of Indian-origin to head Benckiser?

Indian-origin PepsiCo executive Laxman Narasimhan was on June 12 named the next chief executive officer of the British FMCG major Reckitt Benckiser (RB). The 52-year-old would join RB as CEO-designate, following which he would be appointed to the company’s board as an executive director with effect from July 16. He would become group CEO with effect from September 1, succeeding incumbent Rakesh Kapoor. Kapoor will leave the company by the end of this year.

Narasimhan holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pune, the masters in German and International Studies from The Lauder Institute and an MBA in Finance from The Wharton School, both of which are at the University of Pennsylvania.

Before his association with PepsiCo, Narasimhan was a director and location manager at McKinsey’s New Delhi office, where he worked for almost 19 years until 2012. Having worked across multiple industries like consumer, retail, energy, manufacturing, technology and healthcare; he has also led assignments in the public sector, education and skill-building in particular, according to the World Economic Forum.

Reckitt, which is best known in India for brands like Dettol, Harpic, Strepsils and Air wick, and is largely a producer of health, hygiene and home products, is trying to expand its presence beyond these products by pushing personal care brands like Veet and Durex.

With the industry battling a shift to the e-commerce arena, the consumer goods company is looking to tap its newly-appointed chief’s digital know-how to improve its own capabilities amidst the sluggish performance of many mainstream brands, Mint reported. He served as the chief commercial officer at PepsiCo where he was directly in charge of the online sales platforms.

Food industry veteran Narasimhan, the second Indian to take charge at the position, was RB’s choice after Kapoor’s eight-year-long tenure that ended as he stepped down following a cyber-attack, manufacturing glitches and other woes at Reckitt.