He joins UBL from Udaan.com where he was the chief business officer. Gupta spent over two decades in leadership and commercial roles at P&G, working across various categories, from everyday consumption to premium categories. His last position with P&G was as managing director of Australia and New Zealand. 47 years old Gupta, 47 years old, is an engineering graduate with a master’s in business management from IIM, Ahmedabad.
Along with the UBL leadership team, Vivek will be responsible for driving sustainable growth for the company and will lead the premiumization of UBL’s portfolio, including strengthening the iconicity of Kingfisher, the company said.
“We recognize his resilience in building businesses and brands at a fast pace and in a complex environment. He brings solid global experience deeply rooted in India and has had substantial success in commercial and complex companies in traditional and digital environments,” Jacco van der Linden, Regional President APAC of Heineken, and Member of the UBL Board, said.
The company’s earlier MD Rishi Pardal had resigned in February and had six months notice period. India—a warm, tropical country with promising demographics and increasing affluence—remains one of the largest beer markets for global brewers. Heineken, which owns Kingfisher, and Anheuser Busch InBev, which sells Budweiser, controls nearly three-fourth of the country’s beer segment. More than 20 million people enter the legal age for drinking every year in the country.
