Coca-Cola promotes Vikas Chawla as head of South East Europe

In an organisational rejig, beverage giant Coca Cola has elevated Vikas Chawla, vice-president (operations), India, as the head of South East Europe. Effective September 1, Chawla, who has been with Coca-Cola India for 16 years, will be in charge of bottling operations in Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Serbia, Croatia, Albania, Moldova, Malta, Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo.

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While the 12 markets constitute about one per cent of global volumes for the Atlanta-based major, the move is significant since this is the first time an Indian will occupy such a senior position in Europe.

Chawla will be based in Athens, Greece.

The appointment also comes two months after Atul Singh’s elevation as the deputy president of Coca-Cola’s Pacific Group. Prior to his current role, Singh was the president and CEO of Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia. The elevation put Singh in charge of 10 markets, including China, which is the third-largest for Coke, and India, the seventh largest. Again, this was the first time an Indian oversaw operations of the two high-growth markets together within Coca-Cola. Singh continues to be based in India.

The elevation of Chawla and Singh has happened when the recognition of Indian management talent has been growing in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment. FMCG, besides banking & finance and technology, has been at the forefront of exporting talent abroad for many years now. However, this effort has been given a boost with the spate of recent appointments including that of Sameer Suneja, who takes over as global CEO of confectionery major Perfetti Van Melle in October.

In July, Hindustan Unilever’s managing director and CEO Nitin Paranjpe was elevated to the position of president (home care) at Unilever. He also became part of the Unilever Leadership Executive, the Anglo-Dutch major’s 12-member executive team comprising top managers, the third HUL official in a decade to be attached to this group. Before him, Harish Manwani and Manvinder Singh Banga became members of the global executive team following their elevation to the posts of president (Asia Africa) and president (foods), respectively. Later, Banga became president (global foods, home and personal care), before resigning in 2010. Manwani, also chairman of HUL, became chief operating officer in 2011.

The rush to appoint Indian managers to global positions within multinational companies is not without reason though. Experts point to the ability of local managers to quickly adapt and perform in foreign countries for them increasingly taking up overseas positions. Some of them are even recalled to the home market following their stints abroad to help galvanise operations in their country of origin. Venkatesh Kini, currently deputy president for India and Southwest Asia, Coca-Cola, came back home last year from Atlanta, where he was global vice-president for juices since 2009, to accelerate growth here.

Prior to his global appointment, Kini headed marketing operations at Coca-Cola India for three years.