Diageo India CEO Hina Nagarajan: Consumers are not necessarily drinking more, but they are drinking better

She also shared that living her purpose has defined the way she brings her best self to work. This is a formula for success she said. It’s how you deliver a win-win situation.

There’s been a structural shift in consumer choices and behavior over the last few years. Consumers are drinking better, they are living in the physical and the digital world now and really experimenting, said Hina Nagarajan, MD and CEO of Diageo India. In an exclusive interview with Storyboard18’s editor Delshad Irani, Nagarajan shared her views on the alcobev major’s premiumisation and M&A strategies, key consumer trends, advertising, women in leadership, ESG agenda and more.

New epicenters of influence are growing: Asmita Dubey, L’Oreal global marketing chief

"The future of beauty is diverse and inclusive and it is sustainable, committed and generous. The future of beauty will be fueled by innovation. It will be nurtured by science. It will be powered by tech. And what we are doing is shaping that future with science, technology and creativity," says Asmita Dubey.

L’Oreal’s global chief digital and marketing officer Asmita Dubey on pioneering beauty tech, ‘radical inclusivity, conversational commerce, Web3 and women in gaming.

This is a moment of reckoning for Indian brands: Vivek Gambhir, boAt CEO

"I believe that the future is even more exciting. So being paranoid, being humble, being agile, being obsessed with consumers, that's what keeps us going. We are market leaders, but at the heart, this is a company with a lot of hustle and a company that is continuing to be a challenger." - Vivek Gambhir, CEO, boAt

boAt’s chief executive officer, Vivek Gambhir speaks about the brand’s journey from challenger to leader and plans to become a global Indian brand.

This is the Indian decade. I would also say it’s the start of the Indian age: Mark Schneider, Nestle CEO

Schneider said, "You see a lot of the underlying strengths of this country coming to the forefront now... you see tremendous growth and momentum. We want to participate in that. We are deeply ingrained in the social fabric of this country. So I think we stand to benefit from that momentum quite well." (Illustration by Suneesh)

Nestle committed to investing Rs 5000 crore in India by 2025. India is Nestle’s 10th largest market globally and the fresh investments will help the company accelerate its core business in the country and leverage new opportunities for growth. In recent years, Nestle has been dialing up its growth strategies and sustainability efforts to address the many challenges it faces today. In a wide-ranging exclusive interview with Storyboard18’s Delshad Irani, Mark Schneider, CEO of Nestle, told us how the company is future-proofing its brands and business, and focusing on the new bottom-line – People Planet Profits.

Get to the bottom of the pyramid with green products: Sudhir Sitapati

Sudhir Sitapati also shared his insights on building brands in today’s India. But adding a word of caution when he said India is not doing as well as it seems to be doing in the context of FMCG volumes.

Sudhir Sitapati joined Godrej Consumer Products Ltd (GCPL) as managing director and CEO last year, when the world began to open up in a post-pandemic era. In a candid interview with Storyboard18’s Delshad Irani, Sitapati tells us how he articulated his vision for GCPL back then and his approach towards marketing and brand building. He also shares how Godrej is democratizing categories and the secret to building enduring brands. Here’s what he said. “Companies that last a long time almost always have very strong value systems ingrained in them. Second, you have to have a manic focus on cash…”

I want to create leaders who are better than me: Suresh Narayanan

Suresh Narayanan revealed that the foods major Nestle faced higher inflation in 2023 compared to the preceding years, including 2020 and 2021.

“Compassion over competence in a crisis. There are very competent people. The world is full of very bright people. But at this stage nobody wants to see the cranial capabilities or the intellectual capabilities of the CEO. They want to see the compassion of the CEO. The leaders of the future have to be outstandingly good human beings. You can be competent, brilliant, qualified from the best institutions but if you don’t have a heart that beats at the right speed for your people, you can’t call yourself a leader.”