Niranjan Gupta named HUL's CFO-designate

New Delhi: Consumer goods company Hindustan Unilever on Thursday named Niranjan Gupta its chief financial officer-designate and a member of the management committee with effect September 1.

Gupta, a former chief executive of two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp who had started his career at HUL, will take over from Ritesh Tiwari as executive director-finance and CFO on November 1, company said in a news release. Tiwari has been named global head of M&A and treasury at HUL parent Unilever effective November 1.

Gupta has experience across finance, M&As, supply chain and strategic roles in diverse industries. Following his initial two-decade stint at HUL, he spent three-years at Vedanta and joined Hero MotoCorp in 2017 as its CFO. He was elevated to its CEO in 2023. He had played a pivotal role at Hero MotoCorp, strengthening the financial health of its business, creating a strategy for the long term and establishing strategic partnerships, including with American motorcycle maker Harley-Davidson. He will report to CEO and managing director Priya Nair.

Tiwari took over as the finance director and CFO at HUL in 2021 and helped steer the company through the Covid-19 pandemic. In his new role, he will be based out of London.

Tiwari allocated capital in line with the company's strategic priorities to drive competitive volume-led growth amid volatile market conditions. He led key acquisitions, disposals and partnerships that have helped HUL in sharpening its portfolio. More recently, he steered the ice-cream business demerger into Kwality Walls (India) Ltd, paving the way for its independent listing.