corporate appointments

Nestlé India has announced the appointment of Nitu Bhushan as its new Head of Human Resources, effective March 2, 2026. The decision was disclosed in a regulatory filing to the BSE dated December 10. Bhushan joins from Pernod Ricard, where she served as Chief Human Resources Officer. At 47, Bhushan brings more than 22 years of cross-industry HR experience, having worked across FMCG, pharmaceuticals, banking, and technology sectors. She holds a Master’s degree in Personnel Management and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Electronics & Telecommunication). Over the course of her career, she has held senior HR roles at organisations such as Pernod Ricard India, Accenture, Asian Paints, HSBC Bank, Mondelez International, and Abbott. Bhushan will succeed Anurag Patnaik, who has decided to step down from the company effective December 31, 2025. Patnaik, a Nestlé India veteran of over two decades, was appointed Head of HR in February 2021 after joining the company as a management trainee in 2005. Her appointment comes amid a broader leadership transition at Nestlé India, with several senior-level changes planned over the next 15 months across finance, technical, and legal functions. Recently, the company announced that Chief Financial Officer Svetlana Boldina will relinquish her role on January 31, 2026, to take up a new assignment within a Nestlé group entity. Her successor is yet to be named. In the technical function, Executive Director Satish Srinivasan is set to retire on May 31, 2026. He will be succeeded by Jagdeep Singh Marahar as Whole-Time Director, effective June 1, 2026, who will also take charge as Head of Technical. Marahar, currently Managing Director of Nestlé R&D Centre India, has nearly three decades of experience with the company and holds advanced qualifications in food technology and agriculture. The legal and strategy verticals are also witnessing leadership exits. Venkateswaran T.S., General Counsel and Head of Legal & Compliance, will retire after more than 30 years in corporate legal leadership, while Sanjay Bahadur, Executive Vice President and Head of Group Strategy and Business Development, retired in November. Nestlé India said all proposed leadership changes will be placed before the Board of Directors for approval, based on recommendations from the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. The company has outlined extended transition timelines to ensure smooth succession and business continuity. Industry analysts view these changes as part of a strategic realignment as the company navigates evolving market conditions, regulatory pressures, and digital transformation in the FMCG sector. The leadership reshuffle also follows Nestlé SA’s recent announcement of a global restructuring plan that includes cutting 16,000 jobs over two years under its new CEO, Philipp Navratil, to sharpen focus on higher-margin products. Source: Financial Times