Best printers for Home

Best Mixer Grinder

Best wired Earphones

Best 43 Inch TV in India

Best Wi Fi Routers

Best Home Theatre in India

Smart Watch under 5000

Best Laptops for Education

Best Laptop for Students

If you think <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword>’s prolonged search for the next <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="100" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> is getting a bit nutty, especially with a disgruntled <keyword id="62333" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Steve-Ballmer">Steve Ballmer</keyword> waiting on the sidelines to hand over the mantle, you are not far from the truth. But then, that is the actual state of the coveted C-Suite nowadays – volatile is the right word if you want to sum it up. There is no job security at the top and even the best performer for years can get redundant within the span of a few weeks. The issues could be many – right from <keyword id="646347" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="poor-performance">poor performance</keyword> to <keyword id="610960" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="business-restructuring">business restructuring</keyword> to alleged <keyword id="6375736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="corruption-charges">corruption charges</keyword>. But the biggest factor is relevance, a perfect future-fit that can take companies ahead, according to <keyword id="67736" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Industry-experts">industry experts</keyword>. In a difficult <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword>, companies are compelled to twist and turn to keep track of profitability and their requirements change accordingly. Hence, their leaders have to adapt, shape up or ship out, as the case might be. 
 India is no exception and business leaders across the country have been frequently ‘released’ by industry giants. Many of them leave with ‘immediate effect’ while others are on garden leave or worse still, waiting for their predecessors to turn up (just like Ballmer). Yet, most of the C-Suite executives are tight-lipped about their departures, at least here in India. We are yet to come across an announcement like the one made by <keyword id="384914" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Groupon">Groupon</keyword>’s founder and former CEO <keyword id="488139" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andrew-Mason">Andrew Mason</keyword>. But exit happens all the same – be it discreet or blatant. Here’s a quick look at some of the top-notch C-Suite executives from India who parted ways with their respective companies in 2013, their official exit lines and what happened behind the scene.

Strife At The Top: These
11 C-Suite Execs From India
Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

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

NEW DELHI: <keyword id="54572" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="PepsiCo">PepsiCo</keyword>'s new India head D <keyword id="144341" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Shivakumar">Shivakumar</keyword> told employees that the company "cannot afford to lose a day" and called for "relentless execution", drumming up enthusiasm among staff in the battle for market share with <keyword id="6391475" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Coca-Cola">Coca-Cola</keyword> and other rivals as he takes over the local unit of the beverage and snacks maker that has been without a <keyword id="6369681" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="chief">chief</keyword> executive for about half the year. 
 
"We are a daily market share business much like newspapers, milk, cigarettes and airline seats. These industries cannot afford to lose a day. Hence, the key is relentless execution," Shivakumar said in a letter to employees that ET has seen. 2014 is a "must-win" year for the company, he added. "We need to give it all we have." 
 
The note tries to send out a positive signal, said two mid-level employees who didn't want to be named. 
 
Rocky Year for <keyword id="985688" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="india-unit">India Unit</keyword> 
 
"Shiv's first letter indicates he is one of us... and that everyone in the company can directly reach out to him," one of them said. Asking employees to "teach" him the business, Shivakumar said he wants to "learn and contribute". 
 The year has been a rocky one for the Indian unit. Manu Anand exited the company abruptly in June to join Cadbury Kraft, leaving the post of <keyword id="17958" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="Chairman-and-CEO">chairman and CEO</keyword> vacant until former <keyword id="107835" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Nokia-India">Nokia India</keyword> chief Shivakumar took over earlier this month. 
 Further, the firm's biggest investment in sport - the Indian Premier League Twenty20 tournament - got mired in controversy over spot fixing, leading to a good deal of discomfiture. <keyword id="44672" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Pepsi">Pepsi</keyword> has paid 400 crore over five years for sponsoring the <keyword id="6354312" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="IPL">IPL</keyword>. 
 PepsiCo's global chairman and <keyword id="5645" type="POSITION" weightage="40" keywordseo="CEO">CEO</keyword> <keyword id="6421975" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Indra-Nooyi">Indra Nooyi</keyword> told ET in an interview last month that she would want the firm to be associated with a sport with "no controversy". In addition to this, the economic slowdown has cut into sales as consumers keep a tighter check on discretionary spending than before, although this would have had an equal impact on rivals as well. Besides this, growth of soft drinks has slowed to single digits as early rain cut summer short. <div style="page-break-after: always;">
	&#xa0;</div>
Shivakumar’s immediate mandate is to accelerate consumption of colas and snacks in an economic environment that’s still in the doldrums. 
 However, finance minister <keyword id="43940" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="P-Chidambaram">P Chidambaram</keyword> and central bank governor Raghuram Rajan both expect growth to strengthen in the second half of the year, partly because good monsoon rains are expected to boost farm income. 
 Meanwhile, the snacks business is getting increasingly fragmented with established rivals such as <keyword id="6357073" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="40" keywordseo="ITC">ITC</keyword> and <keyword id="29464" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Parle">Parle</keyword> chipping away at PepsiCo’s share, and several smaller companies such as <keyword id="15107" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Balaji">Balaji</keyword> and <keyword id="1872606" type="PERSON" weightage="40" keywordseo="Bikaji">Bikaji</keyword> emerging as strong contenders. 
 
Shivakumar, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, shouldn’t run short of money when it comes to pursuing the company’s ambitions aggressively. 
 
Nooyi said last month that Pepsi will invest Rs 33,000 crore ($5.5 billion) in the country by 2020 on manufacturing, infrastructure and product innovation, reflecting the importance of India as a market for the company, which is running up against resistance to sugared sodas in developed countries. 
 Shivakumar, who has worked in <keyword id="6365619" type="CITY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Hindustan-UniLever">Hindustan Unilever</keyword> and <keyword id="49855" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="philips">Philips</keyword>, urged the Pepsi team to “execute plans with conviction” and said that the strategies of divisional leaders Gautham Mukkavilli, Praveen Someshwar and Pratik Pota are robust. 
 Mukkavilli is CEO of the beverage business, Someshwar heads the food business and Pota is in charge of NourishCo, a joint venture with the <keyword id="6360721" type="COMPANY" weightage="40" keywordseo="Tatas">Tatas</keyword>. 
 
Shivakumar told ET soon after his appointment that he was “fundamentally an institution builder, team player and very much a brands person”, Previously managing director at Nokia India and then senior vice president for India, Middle East and Africa, he is the first outsider to take over as CEO at Pepsi since 2006, when Rajeev Bakshi quit.

PepsiCo's new India head D Shivakumar sends out morale-boosting letter to employees

You Searched For "Manu Anand" and got 3 results

Strife At The Top: These 11 C-Suite Execs From India Were ‘Let Go’ In 2013

Sanghamitra Mandal

India no place for top executives who fail to deliver

BI India Bureau

PepsiCo's new India head D Shivakumar sends out morale-boosting letter to employees

Economic Times

Popular Keywords

Buying Guides