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<keyword id="75190" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nestle">Nestle</keyword>’s executives in India are probably undergoing the most stressful phase in their work life. With crisis building up, they have been victim of no leave and unsocial family life off late, all thanks to its above standard content of lead. 
 "I haven't slept for more than two hours in the past fortnight," rued a <keyword id="2891004" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="midlevel-executive">midlevel executive</keyword>. "It's been all about nonstop work, plant visits, meetings, tests, future strategies, decisions. Worse, we don't know what will happen tomorrow," he told The Economic Times, speaking on the condition of anonymity. 
 As per a news report in the ET, 7,000 employees, including those working at its five noodles plants in Moga, Pantnagar, Nanjangud, Bicholin and Tahliwal had the nightmare on April 30. That was when a 1998-batch food inspector by the name of Sanjay Singh in Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki town turned the food giant's world upside down. As things moved from bad to worse and Nestle's nightmare snowballed into one of the biggest controversies of the year, Nestle had to press in its entire team into firefighting. It has flown in <keyword id="306047" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="global-chief-executive">global chief executive</keyword> Paul Bulcke and executives from across the world, including longest-serving brand head <keyword id="320433" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Shivani-Hegde">Shivani Hegde</keyword> from Sri Lanka, to manage the crisis. In India, it cancelled leaves of all employees and they have been putting in almost 20-hour work days. 
 Few of the facts are in public domain. Nestle, known for being one of the most media-shy companies in the consumer-goods space, sent out text invites for its only media briefing since the mega controversy broke out, postmidnight Thursday, according to the ET. The conference was at 12 noon on Friday, and there wasn't even enough time to send out email invites. Public relations agency Text 100 was given the mandate to organise the conference. The statement announcing the voluntary recall of <keyword id="6369404" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Maggi">Maggi</keyword> noodles was also mailed by Nestle's communications team at the unearthly 12.54 am, to be exact. Enough proof that Nestle India, maker of the once popular Maggi noodles, is working 24X7. 
 
 The firefighting had begun on all fronts, but a little late. "The company's reticence in the face of the mounting controversy is surprising. Its press conference came 16 days after the news broke on UP FDA's findings. 16 days is an eternity in an age of social media," financial services firm Kotak Institutional <keyword id="45369" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="equities">Equities</keyword> wrote in a consumer note dated June 5. The issue "appears to have surpassed all recent food-safety controversies involving well-known brands (worms in Cadbury Dairy Milk, pesticides in Coke/Pepsi). The company's automated twitter responses have done little to assuage consumer fears. Consumer confidence is seriously dented and the company's strategy of calling its consumers 'confused' (and basing its voluntary recall of the product on this 'confusion') does further damage," the report said. 
 "Nestle underestimated the impact of the controversy in the initial days. They were, in a sense, caught completely <keyword id="196983" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="off-guard">off-guard</keyword>. By the time they decided to act, the fire had <keyword id="54921" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="spread">spread</keyword> wild," a top communications expert told the financial daily. 
 At the press briefing which Bulcke, India <keyword id="6364480" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chairman">chairman</keyword> <keyword id="1685339" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Etienne-Benet">Etienne Benet</keyword> and Hegde hosted, the mood went from defensive to almost defiant. "We were waiting for internal investigation results," Bulcke said, when he was asked about the long delay in acknowledging and addressing the issue. 
 
Nestle is also not commenting on lobbying firm Apco being given the mandate to douse the Maggi fire. Apco, which managed PR for Vibrant Gujarat, too, isn't talking. But executives in the know said the first priority is getting the government on their side, which it believes will lead to restoring consumer confidence. 
 
Nestle employees have been told not to talk to anyone - not even to trade partners - unless approved by the legal team. Those working in plants have been told not to go on leave as every product is being tested and re-tested several times, people involved with the company said. 
The company, whose market cap has lost 15% (Rs 10,300 crore), over the past one week, will take a hit of about 7% in sales because of the Maggi recall. 
 Maggi is a Rs 2,000-crore brand, the biggest in the company's portfolio, and Nestle could lose Rs 180 crore in monthly sales until the product is back on shelves, said Abneesh Roy, an <keyword id="2891003" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="analyst-and-associate-director">analyst and associate director</keyword> at Edelweiss Securities. 
 The Maggi fire has burnt rivals too, which are looking at the controversy grudgingly. Sales of the entire noodles category are down by close to 80% in the country - the fifth largest instant noodles market in the world. Retailers like Savemax have removed all <keyword id="6354298" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="stocks">stocks</keyword> of other Maggi products like ketchup too, which were giving noodles for free as promotions. 
 
In 2014, the domestic instant noodle market was valued at Rs 3,800 crore, with value growth of 7.4% and volume growth of 2.9%. 
 (Image: <keyword id="-101" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Times">India Times</keyword>)

All work and no play – that’s how Maggi employees are living their life these days

It seems <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=nestle+india">Nestle India</a> is preparing to re-launch Maggi noodles and is shaking up its executives for the same. 
 In one such huge re-jig, <keyword id="2691730" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Suresh-Narayanan">Suresh Narayanan</keyword> will replace Etienne Bennet as India MD as Benet will be relocating to Switzerland, Nestle India’s head office. 
 
Presently, Narayanan is the chairman and CEO of Nestle Philippines. 
 
As per the company statement, Narayanan will function as a designate and the proposal is subject to necessary approvals. 
 
Narayanan joined the Nestle Group in 1999 in India but his career overseas began in 2003 with multiple assignments in South East Asia. 
 
From 2005-2008, he was the head of sales for Nestle's South Asia Region and during his stint there he led major structural and strategic changes in sales and customer management. 
 
He has also served as market head of Nestle's North East Africa Region and achieved significant business growth in a turbulent market environment. 
 
Narayanan’s appointment comes at a time when Nestle India is facing a severe crisis in the country over the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=maggi+ban">Maggi ban</a>. 
 
Reportedly, Maggi, the nation's most popular noodle brand, raked in more than Rs 2,000 crore in annual revenue for the company. While that has stopped now, it spent Rs 320 crore to recall the product. 
 
Nestle India claimed that it did not get an opportunity to explain its stand before the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=FSSAI">FSSAI</a> as state authorities banned the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=instant+noodles">instant noodles</a> alleging excessive levels of lead in it and mislabeling on the pack. 
 
"The way the matter played out was unfair to Nestle. The company wasn't given a chance to prove themselves," Ashwin Bhadri, chief executive at Equinox Labs, which specialises in food testing and works closely with FSSAI on food safety compliance told ET Now. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Maggi may make a comeback soon as Nestle India appoints Suresh Narayanan as new MD

Nestle India MD Etienne Benet will be 'relocating' to Switzerland after he failed to handle the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/MaggiBan-Nestle-discontinues-Maggi-from-the-market-Nestle-employees-keeping-mum/articleshow/47551932.cms">Maggi</a> crisis suitably and he is not the first one. Companies in India are cracking down on their top executives, who are failing to deliver. 
 
 
Earlier this month, $56 billion Korean giant <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Meet-LG-Indias-new-head-whos-mission-is-to-give-Samsung-a-run-for-its-money/articleshow/48051769.cms">LG Electronics</a> recalled Soon Kwon, the chief of its Indian operations, after the company failed to navigate a sluggish economy and lost out to its arch rival Samsung in terms of sales. He is being replaced by Kim Ki-Wan, executive vice-president of LG's home entertainment overseas sales and marketing group. Kwon is being recalled to LG's headquarters Seoul to take over as global head for information display business. 
 
In 2012, in an unprecedented move, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Honda-to-recall-over-11000-cars-in-India-around-5-million-globally/articleshow/47298632.cms">Honda Motor Co</a> recalled president &amp; CEO Takashi Nagai and marketing head Seki Inaba as the car maker struggled to match the sales of its nimbler rivals. In the same year, Subhinder Singh Prem was removed as Reebok India MD after its parent Adidas pointed out commercial irregularities at Reebok India. In 2013, PepsiCo India head Manu Anand quit suddenly and insiders attributed it to the company losing market share to rival Coke. 
 
"Unlike earlier, India is not an 'emerging' market anymore for global giants. It is one of the most important destinations for global brands due to the sheer size of its population. Moreover, most developed markets are slowing down. Multinationals are not willing to take India lightly anymore. They want their best talent to develop this market," said a senior executive with a reputed head-hunting firm. 
 
Nestle is not the first company in India to face flak due to safety concerns. Food and beverage giants such as, Coca-Cola, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/PepsiCo-India-facing-HR-challenge-with-top-level-resignations/articleshow/47935915.cms">PepsiCo</a> and <keyword id="6399124" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Cadbury">Cadbury</keyword> got embroiled in serious controversies here. In 2003, while the beverage majors were accused of having pesticides in their drinks, confectionary maker Cadbury (now Mondelez) got a shock when worms were discovered in a batch of Dairy Milk chocolates. In all the cases, the respective businesses suffered. Cadbury's sales plunged nearly 30% when its sales usually rise 15%. However, CEOs of all the companies were not removed. At least, not immediately. 
 
 
 (Image credits: Indiatimes)

India no place for top executives who fail to deliver

<keyword id="320433" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shivani-Hegde">Shivani Hegde</keyword>, who made Maggi a household name in India, is back to rescue it. As brand Maggi is going through troubled times, Nestle Global CEO Paul Bulcke has called Hegde back from Sri Lanka temporarily for damage control. 
 
Hegde is a member of the parent company's global marketing leadership council and took over as head of Nestle in Sri Lanka four months back. 
 
She will come to India with a mission, to re-build brand Maggi. 
 
Economic Times reported earlier that the country's longest-serving custodian for any brand and a Nestle veteran of three decades, Hegde took Maggi through brand extensions into new categories and variants, shifted the advertising angle from taste to health and widened distribution. This made Maggi available across the country, even its remote corners, leading to a 70%-plus share of the noodle market. 
 
Hegde is an economics graduate and holds a master's degree holder from Faculty of Management Studies. 
 
She joined Nestle as management trainee and was elevated as managing director of Nestle's Sri Lanka business in January. 
 
She's married to Arun Hegde, former managing director of Wrigley's, who quit the confectionery maker in 2007 to start his own consultancy. 
 
"She made Maggi a household name and brought in a bottom-of-the pyramid connect to the brand without alienating upmarket consumers —that's been her X factor," a top executive of a food company who knows her closely but declined to be identified told ET, adding “but she remains extremely low-profile in the public space and somewhat risk averse." 
 
On this news, Hegde didn't comment anything beyond helping out by reading a question. 
 
Hedge is expected to meet government officials and regulators along with the parent company's executives and she will be looking to overhaul consumer engagement in print, television and social media. 
 
“Hegde is precise about what she wants,” Emmanuel Upputuru, national creative director at ad agency Publicis in 2007-12 told ET. 
 Hegde could not be reached for comment. One of her rare interviews was to ET five years ago. What she told ET then helps explain why Bulcke and <keyword id="6356830" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Nestle-India">Nestle India</keyword> CEO Etienne Benet needed to bring her back for this operation. 
 
"Maggi has worked hard to create and grow the market in the past 25 years, and what it has achieved is not easy — it's a tough job," she'd told the financial caily in 2010. She had said that the connect with the consumer was a very strong asset that is not easy to replicate. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

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All work and no play – that’s how Maggi employees are living their life these days

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Maggi may make a comeback soon as Nestle India appoints Suresh Narayanan as new MD

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India no place for top executives who fail to deliver

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