TURNING THINGS AROUND

After successfully steering the FMCG major through the Maggi crisis, Narayanan has put Nestlé onto a steady new growth path in the past few years

- Arnab Dutta

WHEN SURESH NARAYANAN  presented Nestlé India’s performance for the quarter ended December at a recent post-earnings call, he began his speech by highlighting the company’s success in spite of a challenging business environment. With inflation running high and demand faltering, at least in the hinterlands, fast-moving consumer goods companies like Nestlé were being tested to the hilt. That however has failed to dent his resolve of emerging stronger—a habit he has cultivated over his three-decade-old journey in the corporate world.

In fact, if one were to describe Nestlé India’s performance under his stewardship as Chairman and MD over the past seven years, there probably isn’t a better phrase than the title of his speech—“Consistency in the face of a storm”. Once nearly decimated by the ban on Maggi noodles, Nestlé India under the leadership of Narayanan— the winner in the FMCG category of the BT-PwC India’s Best CEOs ranking—has since emerged stronger than ever despite the odds. Having then served the Swiss giant for 17 years in various roles across regions, Narayanan was flown back to India in mid-2015 to lead the firefighting exercise that the FMCG major needed at the time.