Cadbury maker Mondelez hires Britannia’s Hemant Rupani as sales director
Rupani's appointment comes 3 weeks after Mondelez launched a new cookies brand to grab a larger share of the estimated `14,500 crore Indian biscuits market
New Delhi: Mondelez India Foods Pvt. Ltd, the local arm of the Oreo cookie maker, on Wednesday said it has named Hemant Rupani as director–sales to lead the chocolate maker’s market strategy in India. He will be part of Mondelez India’s leadership team.
Rupani joins Mondelez from biscuit maker Britannia Industries Ltd where he was the sales head for biscuits, cakes, dairy and breads division. Prior to that, Rupani had worked with Vodafone India Ltd, PepsiCo India Holdings Ltd and Infosys Ltd.
Rupani’s appointment comes three weeks after Mondelez India launched a new cookies brand—Cadbury Bournvita biscuit—in an attempt to grab a larger share of the biscuits market in India. The launch came about eight months after its global chief executive Irene Rosenfeld expressed concern over slow growth in India in an investor call.
Cadbury Bournvita biscuit is the second biscuit brand from Mondelez stable in India. It entered the biscuit market in India in 2011 with the launch of Oreo cookies, a premium biscuit. In the biscuit space, Mondelez India, formerly known as Cadbury India Ltd, competes with Britannia Industries Ltd, Parle Products Ltd and ITC Ltd.
Mondelez sells chocolates, beverages, biscuits, gum and candy. Among its top brands are Cadbury Dairy Milk, Bournville, 5Star, Perk, Gems and Glow. In beverages, it boasts of Bournvita and Tang. It also owns Oreo, Halls and Chocolairs.
“It is well known that our sales, distribution and execution capabilities have played a pivotal role in our leadership position and rich history in India. We are now poised at an important inflexion of creating the route to market of the future and driving growth in a multi-category business context. To this end, Hemant brings a wealth of knowledge in sales and marketing operations and strategy," Chandramouli Venkatesan, managing director, Mondelez India, said in a statement.
Rupani could not be reached for comments.
The biscuits industry in India was estimated at ₹ 14,500 crore in 2013-14 and is projected to touch ₹ 27,900 crore by 2018-19, according to a study by market research firm ValueNotes.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!