Global FMCG giant Unilever has elevated Sridhar Ramamurthy, who is currently CFO and executive director for finance & IT at its Indian arm Hindustan Unilever, as senior vice president (finance) for global markets.
Ramamurthy will move to London as part of the new role and will be part of the Global Markets Executive team of Unilever.
A member of ICAI, ICWAI and ICSI, Ramamurthy joined Hindustan Unilever in 1989 and worked in a number of finance and commercial roles in India till December 2002 spanning internal audit, factory commercial, post-acquisition integration of TOMCO, supply chain and corporate accounts.
In January 2003, he moved to Singapore to take up the position of vice president - finance and controller, home and personal care business group for Unilever in Asia. With the changes to the Unilever organisation during 2005-08, his role expanded and he was appointed as vice president - finance and controller, Unilever Asia, Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Central & Eastern Europe (AACEE), the largest of the three regions of Unilever.
On his return to India, Sridhar was appointed as executive director - finance & IT and CFO of Hindustan Unilever, effective July 2009.
He will hand over the baton of head of finance at Indian’s largest FMCG company to PB Balaji, currently vice president – finance of Unilever Americas Supply Chain Company. Balaji will also join the board of directors of Hindustan Unilever and will be part of the management committee of the firm.
Balaji joined Hindustan Unilever in May 1993 and has worked in different roles in the company. Prior to moving to Unilever in 2011, he was vice president, finance for the home & personal care business of the Indian consumer goods major.
The appointments will come into effect from July 1, 2014.
This marks another critical change at the top management for Hindustan Unilever. Last year, Unilever elevated Nitin Paranjpe, at that time managing director and chief executive of Hindustan Unilever, as its global head for the home care products business.
Sanjiv Mehta, at that time chairman, North Africa and the Middle East, replaced Paranjpe as managing director and chief executive officer for Hindustan Unilever. Mehta is also responsible for the South Asia cluster that includes Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal, apart from India.
(Edited by Joby Puthuparampil Johnson)
