Meet the CEO: LV Vaidyanathan to take helm of P&G India

Procter & Gamble veteran LV Vaidyanathan has been named as chief executive of the company’s India operations, effective July and for a tenure of five years, as current CEO Madhusudan Gopalan moves into a global role.

In India, P&G operates via two listed entities – Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care, and Gillette India Ltd, selling baby diapers, blades and razors, feminine care, shave prep, healthcare, skincare, and shampoos across brands such as Ariel, Tide, Whisper, Pantene, Olay, Oral-B and Gillette, among others.

LV, who returns to his native India after 18 years working across Southeast Asia, will lead both entities and will spearhead the P&G business, and continue to focus on the company strategy which is delivering consistent top and bottom-line growth.

On taking the reins of the global FMCG’s India business, LV says he plans to raise the bar on all aspects of our superiority strategy – product, package, brand communication, retail execution, and value.

“We will continue to drive productivity improvements to fund investments in innovation and help drive balanced top- and bottom-line growth,” says LV. “As a focused and agile and accountable organisation operating at the speed of the market, we will also aim to lead constructive disruption across the value chain in the industry.”

LV Vaidyanathan – nearly three decades of experience at P&G

A mechanical engineer with an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad, LV has been with the packaged consumer goods giant for nearly three decades having joined as an intern in 1995 directly after graduating and has worked across multiple markets including Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia, and across different functions, from sales to marketing, to operations.

An integral part of the P&G growth story for well over two decades, LV has held numerous roles, from Sales Director for P&G Vietnam to VP of marketing, commercial and operations for P&G Philippines, and is described by P&G President APAC, Magesvaran Suranjan as an “outstanding leader” whose leadership and skills have led to the strong growth of the different businesses that he has led across Southeast Asia.

He currently heads P&G in Indonesia, where he has been responsible for industry-leading growth and value creation for the company. And under his leadership over the last four years, the Indonesian business has transformed to become value accretive for the parent company and overtaken a competitor in the market by turning around the share gap, P&G said.

As a passionate advocate for Equality and Inclusion, LV has also been proactive in driving diversity at the business, and under his leadership, P&G achieved the milestone of 50% women representation in its leadership team. He has also stepped up the company’s focus on environmental sustainability in Indonesia where all of the company’s manufacturing sites have become ‘Zero Manufacturing Waste to Landfill’, and the company is working with external stakeholders to innovate and develop technology that can accelerate efforts to advance the circular economy.

He has served as the Chairman of Indonesia Chapter of US ASEAN Business Council, and is currently a Board Member of Circulate Capital, an investment management firm dedicated to financing innovation and infrastructure in advancement of the circular economy.