Nestle flies in the "Mother of Maggi" to handle crisis

Shivani Hegde was the brain behind the brand in India; can she breathe new life into her creation today?

She took the dais with Nestle global chief Paul Bulcke at the press conference on Friday, but hardly spoke even as her boss was answering to media queries about the safety of Maggi. But those who know Shivani Hegde well wouldn’t be surprised by her reticence.

For, “the mother of the Maggi brand in India” as Bulcke referred to her at the conference has always avoided being in the spotlight, preferring to work rather than talk during her days as executive vice-president of the food business for Nestle in South Asia, a position she held since 2009 till recently.

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Hegde, in her early fifties, of course knows Maggi inside out. So when she finally spoke, the confidence in her voice left no space for any counter-argument. That’s the reason why Hegde, now the managing director of Nestle’s Sri Lankan subsidiary, has been specifically brought to India to steer Nestle out of the present crisis. 

Bulcke obviously knows her capabilities and spoke effusively about how she successfully carried out the responsibility of establishing Maggi in the country in the last 15 years. The confidence Nestle has in her was evident when questions related to Maggi noodles’ operations in India rose. Bulcke turned to her for answers.  



During Hegde’s stint as an architect behind brand Maggi, its products diversified into new categories like bhuna masala, sauce, soups, pasta, coconut milk powder etc. She also launched the campaign - 'Mein aur meri Maggi' – in 2009. Her contributions in the past years has helped Nestle in building a household brand in India.
 
People familiar with Hegde describe her as a person who speaks only as much is needed and has an extraordinary marketing and business skill.



As a fresher from Delhi’s Faculty of Management Studies, Hegde joined Nestle India in 1986 as a management trainee. She has served in various positions in marketing, human resources, sales and Nestle Professional, the out-of-home food and beverages solutions arm, since then.  

This time, however, the Nestle veteran has a tough job on her hands. She has to fight skepticism among consumers and authorities in India. In her home-turf Srilanka, 2014 was a “challenging year” with uncertain market conditions. And first quarter results have shown little sign of improvement in revenue with some 7 per cent growth compared to 6.4 per cent during full year 2014, on a year on year basis.  



Sale of Maggi products – a yearly Rs 3,000 crore brand in India – is severely hit by the present controversy, with its main contributor - the noodles – being stopped. And Nestle once again is betting on the brain behind the ‘two-minute magic’ to regain the “trust and confidence” of Indian consumers.