Harish Manwani, HUL's longest serving chairman, takes final bow at AGM

42-year career comes to an end; Manwani says Rs 350-bn firm must respond with the new paradigm of 'great to good'

A 42-year-long career drew to an end on Friday as Harish Manwani, 65, chaired the annual general meeting of Hindustan Unilever (HUL), the country's largest consumer goods company, for the last time.

Addressing shareholders at the AGM, which was the company's 85th, Manwani, who was HUL's longest-serving chairman (appointed in 2005 in a non-executive capacity), said these were unpredictable times and that the nearly Rs 350-billion firm would have to respond with a new paradigm that was 'great to good'.

"Going from great to good requires businesses to embrace a larger purpose that goes beyond generating short-term financial results. A