Procter & Gamble India India appoints LV Vaidyanathan as CEO

Procter & Gamble India appointed LV Vaidyanathan, who leads the company's business in Indonesia, as the new chief executive officer. He takes over from Madhusudan Gopalan who will move into a new role at the parent company, the FMCG major said.

"LV Vaidyanathan will take over from Madhusudan Gopalan, who is going to take on an important leadership role within P&G as senior vice president – grooming and oral care, P&G Japan and Korea, and has tendered his resignation as managing director of the company effective June 30, 2022," the company said in a statement.

Vaidyanathan completed his Bachelor of Engineering (mechanical) from the National Institute of Technology, Nagpur and has an MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad.

He started his career with P&G in India in 1996 in the sales function and worked in various leadership roles. He has more than 26 years of experience across diverse geographies and cultures like India and ASEAN countries including Singapore, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. In 2018, he was elevated to the role of CEO, P&G Indonesia.

"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," said P&G India.

Vaidyanathan is a passionate advocate for equality and inclusion and under his leadership, P&G has achieved the milestone of having 50 percent women representation in their leadership team, the company said in a statement.

"He has also stepped up the company's focus on environment sustainability in Indonesia where all of the company's manufacturing sites have become 'zero manufacturing waste to landfill', and the company is working with external stakeholders to innovate and develop technology that can accelerate efforts to advance the circular economy," it added.

Vaidyanathan has also served as the chairman of the Indonesia Chapter of the US ASEAN Business Council.

Gopalan during his four-year tenure at the helm of P&G India was instrumental in guiding the company through the challenges of the pandemic, delivering strong balanced growth while prioritizing the health and well-being of P&G people, the company said.

"Under his leadership, the company launched its 'P&G Suraksha India' program towards COVID relief where it contributed towards vaccine doses, oxygen concentrators, masks, and sanitizers for the protection of frontline workers and underprivileged communities," it added.