Sanjiv Mehta
CEO & MD
Hindustan Unilever Ltd
Lifetime Achievement
Out of 29 years that he has served Unilever, 20 years he led businesses in different parts of the world. During his 9-years at the helm of Hindustan Unilever, Sanjiv Mehta has scripted the India success story, taking HUL from $17 billion to $70 billion, making it one of the most valuable companies in the country. Believer in harnessing technology, he launched 'Reimagine HUL' - a digital transformation endeavour harmonising people and technology.
Sanjiv Mehta
CEO & MD, Hindustan Unilever Ltd
Sanjiv Mehta is the CEO and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever Limited which is India’s largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Company. As President, Unilever South Asia, he is also responsible for Unilever’s businesses in South Asia having a combined turnover of over $8 billion. He is a member of Unilever’s Global Executive Board (Unilever Leadership Executive) which runs the global consumer goods giant. Sanjiv is also the President Commissioner (Non-Executive Chairman) of the Board of Commissioners for Unilever Indonesia.
Sanjiv has done his Bachelor’s in Commerce, Chartered Accountancy and has also completed his Advanced Management Program (Harvard Business School). He has been with Unilever for 29 years and for the last 20 years he has led businesses in different parts of the world as the Chairman / CEO. He has been Chairman and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh Limited (2002-06), Chairman and CEO of Unilever Philippines Inc. (2007-08), Chairman of Unilever - North Africa and Middle East (2008-13) and from October 2013 he assumed his responsibilities of heading Unilever’s business in India and South Asia.
During his nearly 9 years at the helm of Hindustan Unilever, the market capitalization of the Company has increased from $17 billion to over $70 billion making it one of the most valuable companies in the country. In this period, HUL has won several recognitions including the prestigious The Economic Times ‘Company of the Year’ & ‘Corporate Citizen of the Year’ awards, Business Standard’s ‘Company of the year’ award, the ‘Best Governed Company’ award by the Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability and the 'Outstanding Company of the Year' award at CNBC-TV18’s India Business Leader Awards (IBLA). Forbes rated HUL as the most innovative company in India and the 8th most innovative company in the world. Aon Hewitt in a global study rated HUL as the 3rd best company globally for building leaders.
During his nearly 9 years at the helm of Hindustan Unilever, the market capitalization of the Company has increased from $17 billion to over $70 billion making it one of the most valuable companies in the country. In this period, HUL has won several recognitions including the prestigious The Economic Times ‘Company of the Year’ & ‘Corporate Citizen of the Year’ awards, Business Standard’s ‘Company of the year’ award, the ‘Best Governed Company’ award by the Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability and the 'Outstanding Company of the Year' award at CNBC-TV18’s India Business Leader Awards (IBLA). Forbes rated HUL as the most innovative company in India and the 8th most innovative company in the world. Aon Hewitt in a global study rated HUL as the 3rd best company globally for building leaders.
Sanjiv is the President of Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Independent Director on the Board of Air India, Director on the Board of Indian School of Business, member of Board of the Breach Candy Hospital Trust and member of the South Asia Advisory Board of Harvard Business School. He chairs ‘Vikaasa’, a coalition of top Indian and MNC companies.
Sanjiv was conferred the honorary degree of ‘Doctor of Philosophy in Business Management’ by Xavier University (Xavier Institute of Management). He has received several personal recognitions including the ‘Best CEO Multinational’ by Forbes, the ‘Management Man of the Year’ by Bombay Management Association, the ‘CA Business Leader’ by The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, the ‘Best Transformational Leader’ by the Asian Centre for Corporate Governance and Sustainability, the ‘Business Leader of the Year’ by The Economic Times, Pralhad P. Chhabria Memorial Global Award for his outstanding contributions to the Industry, the ‘JRD Tata Corporate Leadership award’ by the All India Management Association, the ‘Sir Jehangir Ghandy Medal’ by Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur and the ‘IMPACT Person of the Year’ by exchange4media group (Business World).
Mr. Sanjiv Mehta is the author of the national bestseller ‘The Maverick Effect’ and the driving force behind galvanizing the IT industry in India by co-founding NASSCOM, the IT industry’s association. He was elected as the first Chairman of NASSCOM and continues to be the Convener of NASSCOM’s Chairman’s Council.
Sanjiv Mehta has a long history of success as an Indian entrepreneur, investor, and changemaker. Mr. Mehta has founded, led, grown & mentored the Onward Group. From 1993 to 2005 he served as the Deputy Chairman and MD of Onward Novell Software India Private Limited, a JV with the world's 2nd largest personal software company at the time. Prior to founding Onward, he was one of the chief architects of the Hinditron–Digital (DEC) JV in India in 1987.
He introduced Silicon Valley’s, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) to India and is the co-founder of the Indian Angel Network (IAN), one of the world's largest and most active angel investor groups. Sanjiv Mehta is also a founding member of Infinity Venture Fund, India’s first corporate VC fund, and an active volunteer of Onward Foundation & Dewang Mehta Foundation.