Leader in the Spotlight: Deepak Roy
Neither buying 50% ownership rights of Mansion House nor buying 100% of Tilaknagar is going to be easy for Roy
Who: Deepak Roy, chief executive officer of Allied Blenders and Distillers Pvt. Ltd.
Why: Last week, Allied Blenders, which makes Officer’s Choice whiskey, bought 50% of Mansion House and Savoy Club brands from Herman Jansen Beverages Nederland BV.
Background: Roy’s move marks a new turn in Allied Blenders’ attempts to acquire rival Tilaknagar Industries Ltd, which currently makes the popular Mansion House brandy in India. Allied Blenders is separately talking to Tilaknagar for an outright acquisition. Tilaknagar has denied any possibility of an outright sale.
Experience: Roy has worked in sales, marketing and general management for 30 years. He spent over 23 years in the alcoholic beverages industry, with over 13 years as the chief executive of various successful companies in the sector.
Challenge: Neither buying 50% ownership rights of Mansion House nor buying 100% of Tilaknagar is going to be easy for Roy. Tilaknagar has been making Mansion House in India since 1983 under a commercial arrangement with UTO Nederland BV, now known as Herman Jansen. The relationship between the two, however, soured. The Dutch firm sued Tilaknagar in 2008 for allegedly breaching the terms of their agreement, while Tilaknagar continued to make and sell Mansion House brandy in India. Herman claims it has the rights to the brand, but Tilaknagar executives said the erstwhile UTO had ceded ownership of the trademarks in Tilaknagar’s favour in two agreements signed by them on 23 February 1987. In December 2011, the Bombay high court upheld Tilaknagar’s claim to the brand. Herman Jansen has challenged the order in Bombay high court. Roy has to wait for the outcome of the Bombay HC hearing.
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