M. S. Banga

He joined the company as a Management Trainee in 1977.

In 1993 Mr Banga was appointed Head of the Personal Products Business of Hindustan Lever. Between August 1995 and end-1998, he was Executive Director and Head of Soaps & Detergents--Hindustan Lever's largest business. He was also the Category Leader for the detergents business for Unilever's Central Asia & Middle East Business Group. In addition, Mr Banga led Hindustan Lever's initiative into mass-market foods. A new business model was created that won Unilever's Foods Innovation Award in 1998. In December 1998 he moved to the Unilever Head Office in London as Senior Vice-President, responsible for the global Hair & Oral Care categories. In May 2000 Mr Banga was appointed Chairman of Hindustan Lever, and subsequently given overall charge of Unilever's operations in the South Asian region.

Hindustan Lever is India's largest consumer-goods company (sales of US$2.2bn), employing more than 41,000 people. It is the market leader in most of the Home and Personal Care & Foods categories in which it operates. It also has a large exports business, exporting to over 70 countries. With a market capitalisation of more than US$10bn, Hindustan Lever is India's highest valued company.

Mr Banga is on the boards and managing committees of many trade and non-trade institutions, including Confederation Indian Industry (CII), Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India (Assocham), Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI), Indian School of Business, Hyderabad and Breach Candy Hospital. He is the recipient of various awards and honours, including the Jehangir Ghandy Award for Industrial and Social Peace from XLRI and the Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT, Delhi.

Mr Banga is 47 years old. He is a Mechanical Engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, a Gold Medallist from both.