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<\/p>\nHindustan Unilever (HUL)’s decision to split its beauty and personal care division and place a renewed focus on digital has been driven by its aim to serve the consumer of tomorrow, say analysts and brand experts.<\/p>\n
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HUL managing director and chief executive officer Rohit Jawa is looking to make the company ‘future ready’, and while these bets are not for the short-term, they will eventually pay off as the Indian consumer is young and digital friendly, they add.<\/p>\n
“Rohit Jawa comes with digital experience and he is preparing to steer HUL into serving the future consumer who is more digital friendly,” said Sachin Bobade, vice-president at brokerage firm Dolat Capital.<\/p>\n
The consumer major also announced that it had named Arun Neelakantan its chief digital officer effective January 1.<\/p>\n
Neelakantan, who the company said was brought in to unlock growth opportunities by leveraging India’s digital ecosystem, will also join the company’s management committee.<\/p>\n
Neelakantan is the first chief digital officer of the company who will be part of the company’s management committee.<\/p>\n
Brand expert Devangshu Dutta, founder of business management consultant Third Eyesight, said that HUL was a traditional company but had never shied away from experimenting with different models of customer engagement.<\/p>\n
“The profile of the younger Indian consumer is more digital friendly.<\/p>\n
“This move won’t fundamentally shift the company’s business in the short term, but it is creating a connect with the younger consumer group which will be the mainstay for the future,” said Dutta.<\/p>\n
In the December 1 announcement, Jawa had said: “As we embark on our next phase of growth and transformation, we will combine our scale and discipline with innovation and agility to serve our consumers even better, and build a future-fit business,” adding that beauty and personal care continued to be a source of value creation for the company.<\/p>\n
While talking about the company’s acquisition of a majority stake in Zywie Ventures, which sells plant-based and clean-label consumer wellness brand Oziva, and a stake in Nutritionalab, which houses its products under the brand name Wellbeing Nutrition, Dutta said that the future trajectory was kept in mind while making these moves.<\/p>\n
“These don’t add significantly to the topline and even bottomline.<\/p>\n
“But it is a move by the company to connect with the newer consumer segments,” Dutta explained.<\/p>\n
The maker of Dove soaps also appointed two separate executive directors for the beauty and wellbeing business and the personal care business.<\/p>\n
Harman Dhillon will join the company management committee as executive director of the beauty & wellbeing business and Kartik Chandrasekhar will join the management committee as executive director of the personal care business. Both will assume their new roles from April 1.<\/p>\n