Former Executive Director- Hindustan Unilever and Head of Sales and Customer Development- South Asia, Kedar Lele, who had recently called it quits at HUL after a two decade long stint at the FMCG major, is now slated to join Castrol India as its new Managing Director.
As per reports, he will be taking on the mantle from November 1, 2024.
Before taking up the role of ED- HUL and Head of Sales and Customer Development- South Asia at Unilever in July 2021, Lele served as Chairman and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh from January 2018 to June 2021. And apart from being the Chairman of Unilever Bangladesh, he also served on the board of Unilever Consumer Care (erstwhile GSK Bangladesh) during this time.
Also Read: After A Two Decade Long Association With Unilever, Kedar Lele Parts Ways
Prior to that, for a brief period of about six months, between June 2017 and December 2017, he also worked in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer at the company. As part of the same, he led the business operations, sales and customer development function and oversaw the go-to-market organisation involving marketing, customer and trade management, media, marketing research and activation at Unilever Bangladesh.
From June 2014 to May 2017, Lele was associated with Hindustan Unilever as Vice President and was responsible for leading the FMCG major’s eCommerce, Modern Trade (including Global & National banners across Retail and Cash & Carry business), Government’s Defense (CSD) and Police (CPC) channel as well as overseeing the Sales and Customer Development’s technology and Analytics nerve-center for India.
Previously, from November 2010 to May 2014, he served as General Manager- East, HUL, and as part of the same, was responsible for leading the overall HUL business with a multi-functional, 500+ member team across 12 states of Eastern India and setting the regional agenda, leading sales and customer development strategies and operation management.
Before joining Unilever, he served as Head- Sales and Marketing at Kimberley Clark Lever (a Joint Venture between Kimberley Clark and Hindustan Unilever) from December 2008 to November 2010. Based out of Pune, Lele, in this role was responsible for managing the brand team for infant and feminine care businesses with end to end marketing responsibility and played an active role in building functional capability of the marketing resources across the South and East Asian Developing and Emerging Countries (SADEC) in Kimberly Clark network.
He had joined Unilever as Branch Sales Manager- Ice Cream in April 2004 and was elevated to the role of Marketing Manager- Ice Cream in August 2006.
Apart from Unilever, he also spent about two years working as Brand Manager (B2B) at Monster.com between 2001 and 2003, a year as Product Manager at bplnet.com from 2000 to 2001 and as Account Supervisor at Mudra Communications from April 1998 to July 2000.
