Marico seeks a facelift – poaches a brand expert from HUL

• Marico has appointed Koshy George as its Chief Marketing Officer.
  
• George was in-charge of global leadership for two of Hindustan Unilever's iconic personal care brands - Lifebuoy & Pears.
  
• Marico could now expect George to ramp up its marketing efforts to boost its exports.
  

One of India’s leading consumer brand, Marico – home to legacy products like Parachute and Saffola – has just poached a global branding expert from rival Hindustan Unilever (HUL).

The company has appointed Koshy George as its Chief Marketing Officer. George was in-charge of global branding for two of HUL’s iconic personal care brands - Lifebuoy & Pears while also leading a global consumer platform for the skin cleansing category across key brands like Dove, Lux, Sunlight among others.

So what will be George’s mandate at Marico? “He has a very exciting and challenging agenda in driving premiumisation of our portfolio over the next few years,” Saugata Gupta, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Marico said.

This could include both new products as well as rebranding initiatives to target upmarket customers who would pay more for a better brand and experience.

With George’s experience in leading a brand to go global, it is expected that Marico will expect him to look at its global marketing portfolio too. Marico has made its mark in 25 countries across emerging markets of Asia and Africa, with marquee brands in the categories of hair care, skin care, edible oils, health foods, male grooming, and fabric care.

Marico has been focussing on its foreign markets (Bangladesh, Vietnam, Middle East and North Africa and South Africa) also ramping up expansion into these markets. "The company is aiming for 8-10 percent volume growth over the medium term (3 to 5 years), coupled with healthy market share gains," Marico CFO Vivek Karve told Moneycontrol.

The company saw a 22% revenue from its international businesses as of March 2018. Its annual revenue for the year ended March 2018 stood at ₹6,417.7 crores.

For George, the move means coming full circle to where he started out. He joined Marico as a management trainee and went on to be an Area Sales Manager before joining HUL where he rose the ranks in the 14 years that followed. He was the Global Marketing Director - skin cleansing, in his last role at HUL.

See Also:
Hindustan Unilever and GlaxoSmithKline’s domestic consumer unit are merging in what is said to be India’s largest consumer goods deal ever

Slower growth at Hindustan Unilever hits 8-figure salaries of top executives