In her new role, Shailee will lead iconic brands such as Horlicks, Boost, and Horlicks Plus — names that have shaped India’s nutrition market for decades and are now being repositioned for a new generation of health-conscious consumers.

A New Focus for HUL’s Nutrition Business

HUL’s Functional Nutrition Drinks portfolio has been undergoing a steady transformation in recent years. The company has been reframing its offerings from traditional “health drinks” to modern, science-backed functional nutrition brands.

Recent launches such as Horlicks Plus for adult nutrition, Horlicks Pro Fitness as a meal replacement, and millet-based variants have expanded the portfolio’s relevance. HUL is also investing in sugar reduction, positive nutrition goals, and ready-to-drink formats to appeal to evolving consumer preferences.

Shailee’s mix of experience across brand building, sales, e-commerce, and partnerships is expected to strengthen the company’s strategy in this fast-growing category.

15 Years at PepsiCo

Before joining HUL, Shailee had a long and successful stint at PepsiCo India, where she worked across multiple functions and geographies.

Her most recent role was Director – Head of India Growth Office & Franchise Sales (South, West & Rajasthan) for PepsiCo’s beverages division. She was responsible for joint business planning with key bottlers such as Varun Beverages Ltd (VBL) and Pearl Beverages, managing investments, innovation rollouts, and channel strategies. Under her leadership, PepsiCo’s beverage business delivered consistent share gains and double-digit volume growth in the past three years.

Earlier, she led several brand and innovation projects — strengthening 7UP’s position in South India, scaling 7UP Nimbooz across the country, and launching Lay’s Crispz, India’s first pellet-based chip. She also developed consumer engagement campaigns like 7UP Voice of Tamil Nadu with A.R. Rahman and the Lay’s Flight of Flavours initiative.

In her commercial roles, she handled P&L responsibility as Director – Organised Trade Channels, covering E-commerce, Modern Trade, Away-From-Home, and Bulk Water. She helped build PepsiCo’s e-commerce-first portfolio and expanded its presence on Q-commerce and food delivery platforms.

She also conceptualised the Pepsi-IMAGES Foodservice Awards to recognise excellence in foodservice partnerships and was instrumental in signing marquee pouring deals with Domino’s and Burger King.

During the pandemic, Shailee led the #PepsiSaveOurRestaurants campaign with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) and Swiggy, supporting restaurant workers affected by lockdowns. The initiative earned her PepsiCo’s highest global recognition — the Global Chairman’s Award (2020).

Early Career and Education

Shailee began her career with the Tata Group’s Titan Industries, working first with Tanishq as Assistant Manager – Merchandising & Marketing, where she managed product development for the coloured stone jewellery category and led key campaigns such as Mogham and Diamond Up to 20% Off.

She later joined Titan Eye+ as Area Manager – Retail Operations, helping establish the brand’s retail network in Mumbai and managing a team of over 50 sales professionals.

An engineering graduate with an MBA in Marketing from TAPMI, she has also participated in global leadership programs including the Pepsi Foodservice Global Ambassadors Program and ASPIRE – Harvard Business Executive Program.

A Legacy Connection with Unilever

Shailee’s move to HUL is also a personal milestone. She is a second-generation Unilever professional — her father began his career with Unilever and spent over a decade there. “I was born into a Unilever family,” she says, describing the move as a homecoming of sorts.

Balancing Heritage with Innovation

As she takes charge of HUL’s Functional Nutrition portfolio, Shailee’s task will be to modernise legacy brands like Horlicks and Boost while keeping their emotional connection with Indian households intact.

Her diverse experience across brand management, channel development, and consumer insights is expected to help HUL expand its nutrition portfolio and build stronger engagement in a category that sits at the intersection of health, taste, and trust.

From Beverages to Nutrition: A Natural Evolution

For Shailee Chatrath Tyagi, the move from fizzy beverages to functional nutrition represents not just a career transition but an evolution of purpose — from refreshment to nourishment.

With her track record of driving growth, innovation, and purpose-led initiatives, she is expected to play a key role in shaping HUL’s next phase of leadership in India’s fast-changing nutrition landscape.

The post Shailee Chatrath Tyagi To Head Functional Nutrition Portfolio (Brand Building) at Hindustan Unilever appeared first on Business of Food.

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) reported a 1.6% year-on-year (YoY) revenue growth to Rs. 15,818 crore in Q3 FY25, as flat volumes were impacted by moderating urban consumption and a gradual rural recovery. Net profit rose 19% YoY to Rs. 2,984 crore, supported by a one-time gain from the divestment of its Pureit business.

HUL highlighted subdued consumer sentiment, with urban demand slowing and a shift towards smaller packs, even in premium categories. CEO Rohit Jawa noted, “Urban demand is moderating, with households tightening budgets, while rural demand remains robust. This trend is unlikely to change in the near term.”

Key Highlights:

• Segment Performance: Growth was led by the home care and beauty & well-being segments, while personal care declined, and the foods category remained flat.
• Commodity Pressures: Elevated prices of tea and palm oil, alongside fluctuating crude oil prices, led to selective price increases. HUL expects low single-digit price growth if commodity costs stabilize.
• Acquisitions:
• UL will acquire a 90.5% stake in beauty brand Minimalist for Rs. 2,955 crore, with the remaining 9.5% to be acquired in two years. Minimalist reported a turnover of Rs. 347 crore in FY24.

Strategic Moves:

• Ice Cream Business Demerger: HUL’s ice cream division will be demerged into its subsidiary Kwality Wall’s (India) Limited (KWIL). Post-demerger, KWIL will be listed, with shares held by HUL shareholders.
• Portfolio Expansion: Jawa emphasized the focus on premiumization and entering high-growth segments, stating, “The acquisition of Minimalist is a step towards expanding our Beauty & Wellbeing portfolio in the masstige beauty segment.”

Despite a challenging consumption climate, HUL remains focused on premiumization, localization, and growth in new demand spaces.

The post HUL Q3 FY25: Tepid Revenue Growth, Robust Profit Boosted by Divestment appeared first on Business of Food.

Despite these figures falling slightly short of analysts’ expectations, the company maintained a steady dividend payout strategy. Hindustan Unilever declared a final dividend of Rs 24 per share for FY24, adding to the interim dividend of Rs. 18 per share paid on November 16, 2023. Consequently, the total dividend for FY24 stands at Rs 42 per equity share of face value of Rs. 1 each.

The company’s homecare segment, its biggest one, which houses brands like Surf Excel and Comfort, posted mid-single-digit percentage volume growth led by outperformance in Vim liquid.

Rohit Jawa, CEO and Managing Director, expressed optimism about the company’s performance, highlighting a resilient 3% USG and surpassing the Rs 10,000 crore Net Profit milestone in FY24. He emphasized the strategic focus on operational excellence, gross margin improvement, and increased investment in brands and long-term capabilities.

Jawa outlined the company’s forward-looking approach, anticipating a gradual improvement in consumer demand driven by favorable factors such as a normal monsoon and positive macro-economic indicators. He underscored confidence in the medium to long-term potential of the Indian FMCG sector, citing rising affluence, under-indexed FMCG consumption, and robust digital infrastructure as key drivers.

In alignment with their strategic vision, Hindustan Unilever is committed to a transformative journey labeled ‘Transform to Outperform.’ This initiative is characterized by core objectives including enhancing brand superiority, market expansion, premiumization, portfolio optimization, and leadership in future channels.

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