Pidilite Industries' Bharat Puri to leave; Look back at the marketing maven's journey
Bharat Tilkaraj Puri, an IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, has steered iconic organisations and brands, and has been a true champion of creativity from the beginning.
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On February 29, The Board of Directors of Pidilite Industries Limited approved the appointment of Sudhanshu Vats as managing director designate. The Board also approved the appointment of Kavinder Singh as executive director and joint managing director designate. They will take charge as managing director and joint managing director, from April 2025, after the completion of term of the current Managing Director, Bharat Puri.
Bharat Tilkaraj Puri, an IIM-Ahmedabad alumnus, has steered iconic organisations and brands, and has been a true champion of creativity from the beginning. Storyboard18 takes a quick look at his journey.
Puri's association with Pidilite began as an Independent Director of the company in 2008. His career has witnessed many achievements during his tenure at leading Indian and Global companies. In his last assignment, he was President - Global Chocolate, Gum and Candy Categories at Mondelez International, Zurich with worldwide responsibilities for the growth of these categories.
An IIM-A alumnus, Puri started his career with Asian Paints in 1982 and rose to the position of General Manager - Sales and Marketing. He then moved to Cadbury in 1998 as Director of Sales and Marketing for Cadbury India. In 2002, he was appointed Managing Director South Asia, after which he moved to Singapore in 2006 where he was responsible for Strategy, Marketing and Sales for the Asia Pacific region. From then onwards, a series of senior leadership positions at the country, region and global level shaped his career.
In October 2003, Mondelez was hit with a brand catastrophe when worms were found in bars of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk chocolates. Puri, who was the managing director then, witnessed sales plunging and the loss of credibility.
Puri recalled the time in a conversation with CNBC-TV18, “Today, when I think back upon it, it was one of the greatest learning experiences. Because that's the time when you (A) Are tested, (B) Have to keep taking decisions on the spot; and (C) You know the expedient versus what is correct,” Puri explained. Puri not only managed the crisis and restored sales, but also saw to it that Cadbury retrieved its credibility and comsumer's trust, leading with a now iconic marketing campaign featuring Amitabh Bachchan who assured consumers of the brand's standing and quality.
A true champion of creativity, Puri also has a long-standing partnership with legendary adman Piyush Pandey, who he has worked with for decades, beginning with Asian Paints in the 1980s.
