Hina Nagarajan to Head United Spirits as First Woman CEO

By: WE STAFF | Friday, 11 December 2020

Women nowadays are leading all the industries and here is one more instance that justifies the same. Hina Nagarajan has been named as the new Managing Director (MD) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of India’s largest liquor company, United Spirits Limited (USL), which is owned by British drinks giant Diageo, from July 1, 2021. Hina Nagarajan will replace Anand Kripalu. With her elevation, she becomes the first woman to head the Rs. 28,500 crore-alcobev (alcoholic beverage) behemoth.

Hina will move to USL’s headquarters in Bengaluru and will work closely with Anand to ensure smooth transition. Hina has been leading Diageo’s Africa operations comprising Ghana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, the Indian Ocean, and Angola since 2018.

Prior to joining Diageo, she spent about 30 years in consumer packaged goods businesses and held senior marketing and general management positions at Reckitt Benckiser (RB), Nestlé India and Mary Kay India. Her last position before joining Diageo was as managing director for China and SVP North Asia with RB. Following Diageo’s acquisition of USL in 2014 to cash in on the world’s biggest whisky market, Kripalu had led the full integration of the company and strategized the market portfolio of the liquor firm.

A USL statement asserts that under Hina’s leadership, ARM became a ‘significant growth driver’ for Diageo Africa. According to the company, Hina is known for her passion and drive, to deliver results and her ability to build strong teams that deliver ‘outstanding outcomes’. “If a country can be run by a woman so can a company, be it liquor or armaments,” says Vijay Rekhi, Former Managing Director and President, USL. “The function and art of management are gender neutral. What is critical is how effectively an organization is built and driven for its objectives and kept future ready by the leader,” adds Vijay, who now runs his own advisory firm Vizanar Alcobev & FMCG Advisors.