Procter & Gamble has announced that LV Vaidyanathan is taking over as the chief executive officer (CEO) for India operations, starting 1 July, 2022. He will step into the shoes of Madhusudan Gopalan, who will move on to the role of senior vice president – grooming & oral care, P&G Japan & Korea.
With over 26 years of experience across geographies, Vaidyanathan’s association with P&G began in 1995 as an intern with the India sales team.
This alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad has worked in several ASEAN countries including Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
He is currently leading the P&G business in Indonesia as CEO, where he has been responsible for industry-leading growth and value creation for the Company.
A passionate advocate for equality and inclusion, under Vaidhyanathan’s leadership, P&G has achieved the milestone of having 50 per cent women representation in their leadership team.
Under his able leadership, P&G’s focus on environment sustainability in Indonesia has increased, and all of the Company’s manufacturing sites have become ‘Zero Manufacturing Waste to Landfill’. The firm is working with external stakeholders to innovate and develop technology that can accelerate efforts to advance the circular economy.
Vaidyanathan has also served as the chairman of the Indonesia Chapter of US ASEAN Business Council.
With leaders such as Vaidyanathan and Gopalan in its ranks, P&G has been successfully growing in most of the segments it operates in such as baby diapers, blades and razors, feminine care, shave prep, health care, and anti-ageing skincare.
Forty-nine year old Vaidyanathan himself is “looking forward to being back in the market, learning more about the Indian consumers and serving their needs. For us, going forward, it will be important to continue the focus on our strategy, which is delivering consistent results”.
He intends to “raise the bar on all aspects of our superiority strategy – product, package, brand communication, retail execution and value. We will continue to drive productivity improvements to fund investments in innovation and help drive balanced top-and bottom-line growth”.
In his own words, “As a focused and agile and accountable organisation operating at the speed of the market, we will also aim to lead constructive disruption across the value chain in the industry”.