Food group Danone has proposed the appointment of Sanjiv Mehta as an independent member of its board of directors.
Mehta is currently CEO and managing director of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) – a role that he will leave on 26 June 2023.
The appointment, subject to approval by Danone’s shareholders on 27 April, will mark the full renewal of the board and see Mehta joining it on 1 July 2023.
Background
Sanjiv Mehta, an Indian national, held several management positions in finance, audit and sales at Union Carbide from 1983 to 1992, before joining the Unilever group in 1992.
He has worked for almost 31 years at Unilever, with expertise in the consumer goods sector, and has gained knowledge in his field across countries in Asia and the Middle East.
Mehta was appointed CEO and managing director of HUL in 2013.
He is currently the president commissioner (non-executive chairman) of the listed company PT Unilever Indonesia Tbk and a director of the non-listed company Air India Limited.
Previously, Mehta served as a non-executive director of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, from 2015 to 2019, and as president of India’s largest industry body, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), between 2021 and 2022.
Mehta is also a member of the Breach Candy Hospital Trust, a director of the Indian School of Business, and chairman of Vikaasa, a coalition of Indian and multinational companies that helps solve various intractable issues facing India.
Read More: Danone Eyes Better Margins As Fourth-Quarter Sales Top Estimates
‘Positive Step Forward’
“The proposed appointment of Sanjiv Mehta is another positive step forward for Danone, and will mark the swift and full renewal of Danone’s board,” said Gilles Schnepp, chairman of Danone’s board of directors.
“He has deep consumer goods and international experience, which will add to the existing expertise across our diversified team of leading experts, spanning health, consumer goods, ESG and finance. I would like to thank him for his engagement and look forward to working with him.”
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
