Nestlé India's Swiss parent is betting on former Amazon India head Manish Tiwary to steer the packaged foods giant's unit as it grapples with stagnant sales and increased competition in the world's most populous country.
Nestlé SA said it had recommended Tiwary as a successor to Suresh Narayanan, who is set to retire as managing director of Nestlé India on 30 July after nearly a decade with the company.
Tiwary will now need the board approval of Nestlé India before taking over as managing director.
Tiwary oversaw Amazon.com's India unit for more than four years until resigning two months ago.
He was one of the key architects of the company's explosive growth phase when Amazon India overtook homegrown rival Flipkart to become the symbol of e-commerce in the country.
Prior to his eight-year stint with Amazon India, Tiwary worked with Unilever's Indian and Middle Eastern subsidiaries, according to his LinkedIn profile. Tiwary did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Suresh Narayanan
Narayanan, who has previously headed Nestlé's operations in the Philippines, Egypt and Singapore, is also retiring as chairperson of Nestlé India.
Nestle India did not publicly disclose who would replace Narayanan as chairman. A company spokesperson told Reuters its board would "deliberate at an appropriate time" once it received a nomination for the position from its parent company.
The Maggi instant noodles maker missed earnings expectations in the quarter ended June, when it posted its slowest revenue growth in eight years.
Recently, the company expanded its Kit Kat production capacity in Brazil by adding a fourth production line to its chocolate factory in Caçapava, São Paulo.
