Godrej strengthens leadership team with position changes

Nisaba Godrej to serve as executive chairperson while Adi Godrej to assume chairman emeritus position.

Godrej Consumer Products (GCP), announced changes to its leadership team, effective from May 10, 2017. Nisaba Godrej, currently the executive director of the company, will now be the executive chairperson. Chairman Adi Godrej will assume the chairman emeritus position at GCPL. Vivek Gambhir will continue as managing director and chief executive officer.

According to the press release shared with us, In 2007, Nisaba initiated and led Project Leapfrog, which created a playbook for GCP to accelerate domestic organic growth through innovation and consolidation, and to become a global company by investing in emerging markets outside of India. She has also institutionalised design driven thinking and directly leads product development. She has served on the GCP Board of Directors since 2011.

Nisaba has also spearheaded the Group's Good & Green agenda to drive inclusive and sustainable growth. Her previous assignments within the Godrej Group have included the turnaround of Godrej Agrovet and the creation of a Group strategy function to oversee the Group's portfolio. She has a Bachelor of Science degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Harvard Business School.

Speaking on her new role, Nisaba Godrej, says, "I am honoured to assume the chairpersonship of this wonderful company. I want to thank the Board for their confidence in me. I promise to serve all GCP's stakeholders whole heartedly and assure them that the values our Chairman has taught us, combined with his disciplined, results driven, and humble approach, will always be the core of our DNA. I look forward to the continued guidance of the chairman emeritus to our Board, Vivek and me, as we drive GCP forward with deep ambition, hard work and a strong sense of purpose."

Adi Godrej, adds, "It has been a privilege to serve as Chairman during a period when we have delivered strong results and transformed the company. I am grateful to our Board for their thoughtful and planned approach to executing our succession plan. The foundations of GCP are extremely strong. This is an opportune time to transition to a new Chairperson, who will lead the company in its next phase of growth. I feel very confident that Nisa (Nisaba Godrej), will be an outstanding Executive Chairperson. Over the last decade, I have worked closely with her and seen her deliver tremendous results. She is an inspiring leader who will always uphold our values. I will continue to serve the GCP Board and contribute in whatever way I can to GCP's success and long term growth."

Adi Godrej is also the Chairman of the Board of the Indian School of Business and a Past President of the Confederation of Indian Industry. He is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan Award, one of India's highest civilian awards. In 2016, he received the Global Citizen Award from the Clinton Foundation. He received his Bachelors Degree in engineering and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).