Amul's former chief RS Sodhi joins Reliance Retail Ventures to help build grocery business
RS Sodhi will help build the company's growth in the grocery space with a focus on fruits and vegetables.
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RS Sodhi, the former MD of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which retails the Amul brand, has been appointed by Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL) to help build on its growth in the grocery space with a focus on fruits and vegetables, and strengthen the company's presence in consumer brands.
Sodhi has not responded to Storyboard18's query on the movement.
Sources quoted in a Times of India report state that Sodhi has been roped in to help the business build on its growth in the grocery space with a focus on fruits and vegetables and to strengthen the company's presence in consumer brands. RS Sodhi, who served as the managing director at Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) since 2010, moved on from the company on January 9.
Sodhi was given an extension for a period of another five years. The decision to remove Sodhi was taken at the board meeting of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the farmers' cooperative that operates the Amul brand. In his place, the dairy sector cooperative giant has appointed Jayan Mehta as its MD for an interim period.
"My term as MD ended two years back, and I was on extension. I had requested the board to relieve me from this responsibility. The board had told me to wait for some time, saying they will relieve me once they find a suitable replacement," Sodhi told reporters.
A CNBC TV-18 report states that when Sodhi took over as MD, the federation's turnover was only Rs 9,774 crore in the 2010-11 fiscal year. It touched Rs 61,000 crore in the 2021-22 financial year. Sodhi, who has been working with the federation for more than 40 years, served as the MD for 12 years. He was first appointed as MD in 2010 for five years. In 2015, he was re-appointed to the same post till 2020. Since then, he has been on an extension.
Sodhi's expertise in the dairy business along with the understanding of the agriculture sector is expected to benefit Reliance Retail Ventures (RRVL), which is looking to aggressively expand its footprint to compete with the likes of Amul and Mother Dairy.
