Procter & Gamble names L V Vaidyanathan as CEO for India operations

Global FMCG firm Procter & Gamble on Tuesday announced the appointment of L V Vaidyanathan as the Chief Executive Officer for its operations in India from July 1, 2022.

Vaidyanathan will take over from Madhusudan Gopalan, who will be taking up a leadership role within P&G as Senior Vice President Grooming & Oral Care, P&G Japan and Korea, the company said in a statement.

Currently he is leading P&G business in Indonesia as CEO where he has been "responsible for industry-leading growth and value creation for the company", it added.

"Under his leadership, the Indonesian business has transformed to become value accretive for the parent company and has overtaken a formidable competitor in the market by turning around the share gap in the last four years," P&G said.

An alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad, Vaidyanathan had joined P&G in 1995 as an intern and joined the India sales team straight from campus in 1996. He has experience of over 26 years across diverse geographies and cultures like India and ASEAN countries, including Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

Commenting on the appointment, P&G President, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa Magesvaran Suranjan said Vaidyanathan has been an integral part of the P&G growth story for well over two decades.

"He is an outstanding leader, and the India business will immensely benefit from his leadership and skills which have led to the strong growth of the different businesses that he has led across Southeast Asia. The moves for both Madhusudan and LV are testament to the strength of Indian talent and India's importance as a talent factory for P&G globally," Suranjan added.

P&G said during his four-year tenure at the helm of P&G India, Gopalan led the transformation of the business and consistently delivered sustainable top and bottom-line growth.

The company said it continues to be the market leader in most of the segments it operates in like baby diapers, blades and razors, feminine care, shave prep, health care, anti-ageing skincare, and is number two in shampoos and toothbrushes.