Arun Neelakantan replaces Kedar Lele as Executive Director, Customer Development at HUL

Delhi: Hindustan Unilever (HUL) announced a key change to its Management Committee. Arun Neelakantan (43), Chief Digital Officer, HUL will be appointed as Executive Director, Customer Development, HUL effective July 1, 2024. He will be taking over from Kedar Lele, who will be pursuing an external opportunity.

Neelakantan started his career with HUL as Key Account Manager in Modern Trade in 2006. He has a record of performance at HUL and has led large teams and changed agenda in Customer Development and Marketing, across General Trade, Modern Trade, Customer Marketing and Brand Building. 

Welcoming Neelakantan to his new role, Rohit Jawa, CEO and Managing Director, HUL said, “Arun has a proven track record in various roles across the organisation. With his deep understanding of the customer development landscape in the country, coupled with his knowledge of channels of the future and expertise in data and technology, I am sure he will help take HUL Customer Development and Sales to greater heights.”

Jawa also thanked Lele for his contribution to the business and said, “It was Lele who spearheaded HUL’s foray into eCommerce. Under his leadership, our pioneering eB2B app Shikhar was scaled up and it now covers over a million retailers across the country. I would like to thank him for the lasting contributions he has made to HUL over his 20-year long journey with us.”