The Illustrious: The Game-changer
A significant part of the last three decades saw Hina Nagarajan work across large companies in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector. Each of these added a slew of capabilities to her leadership prowess that eventually made Nagarajan the perfect choice to lead Diageo’s India business as its Managing Director and CEO. With a sharp business mind that understands how a company can grow, Nagarajan has prioritised the ‘people’ aspect of the company as well in all her assignments.
The All-Round Leadership
When Nagarajan spearheaded Mary Kay in India as its CEO, back in 2007, the role fuelled the entrepreneur in her. “I helped set up the business brick by brick. The mission at Mary Kay was to enrich the lives of women. I supported women every day, which provided me with a sense of purpose and fulfilment and fuelled my passion for inclusion and diversity (I&D),” reminisces Nagarajan.
In 2013, Nagarajan joined Reckitt Malaysia and Singapore as its CEO, where she turned the company from a declining cash cow to a fast-growing business with renewed investments and superlative employee engagement levels. She repeated this feat when she led Reckitt North Asia, with a focus on China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. During her stint there, Reckitt was the fastest-growing CPG in China and within Reckitt, globally.
“This opportunity provided me with huge learning on digital and ecommerce, an essential skill to run business today,” says Nagarajan. Equipped with these experiences, it was in 2018, her journey with Diageo began. She joined the company in London to run Africa Emerging Markets (AEM).
“This assignment was extremely exciting to me. Not only was Africa a new geography with immense potential but also working in the alcohol beverage sector. The company’s culture and values, focus on inclusion and diversity, as well as its brands, encouraged me to take up this opportunity. Africa has vibrant demographics and is similar to India in many ways: potential for growth, volatility and tough regulatory environment. We delivered great business results during the two years I spent there – I was then offered the role of MD & CEO of Diageo India, which I was thrilled to accept,” says Nagarajan.
A New Alco Bev Sector
Recalling the time of her appointment, Nagarajan says, “The alco-bev industry is a very different place today from where it was, several years ago. When I joined Diageo India last year, I observed very positive comments on various social media platforms. The industry has been very welcoming to me. I am delighted to be a part of an organisation that has I&D at its core, sitting at the heart of our strategy and mission.”
Diageo India has been setting several benchmarks with regard to the representation of women in this industry. Today, 22 per cent of Diageo India’s overall workforce consists of women, as against 7.5 per cent in 2015. Four of eight executives in the Executive Committee are women, while 31 per cent of the Diageo India leadership team comprises women.
“Our goal is to have 50 per cent women in leadership roles by 2025. I&D is something I am very passionate about and being the CEO of a beverage alcohol company in India is a great opportunity for me personally to continue to pave the way for more women in our industry,” Nagarajan adds.
The Balancing Act
Nagarajan faced most of the challenges women generally encounter in their careers. In addition to inclusion issues in male-dominated industries, she also had pressure on work-life balance when she had to juggle being a mother, wife, manager, daughter, and more.
“I managed to overcome these with the incredible support of my family and ensuring my time away from work was fully devoted to my family. I also took a ‘Go Fast, Go Slow, Go Fast’ approach to my career – I grew at a fast pace before my children were born, took a step back when they needed me, and then picked up pace when they were grown up. Last but not least, I just kept pushing and never gave up,” shares the rising business leader.
