By LIAM DANN primary industries editor
Fonterra has appointed an Indian-born "marketing superstar" as the new boss of consumer products division New Zealand Milk.
Sanjay Khosla, 52, spent 27 years with multinational giant Unilever and is credited with revitalising its Lipton Tea brand and driving double digit growth for iced tea drinks.
He
also forged a global joint venture with Pepsico.
His last job at Unilever was senior vice-president global beverages, presiding over a $5 billion turnover.
After a global search to replace outgoing general manager David Pilkington, Fonterra chief executive Andrew Ferrier said he was pleased to have found someone who "not only built global brands but also achieved the dramatic gains in financial performance that come from creating high-value, high-margin consumer products".
NZ Milk - which controls New Zealand's biggest export brand Anchor - underperformed in the last financial year as it struggled to cope with the high-cost raw ingredients.
Ferrier said Khosla was expected to have a big influence on the development of Fonterra's local and international brand portfolio.
Khosla, who graduated with honours in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi and completed the Harvard University Advanced Management Programme in 1998, has held posts in India, London and Europe.
He conceived a successful mass market strategy for Wheel detergent in India. Wheel is now Unilever's largest brand in India.
He also spent five years in London where he managed brands such as Ponds, Vaseline and Rexona.
Khosla was dubbed the marketing superstar of the year in 1998 by advertising industry bible Advertising Age.
STAFF EXODUS SCOOPS $20M OUT OF BUCKET
Staff who left Fonterra last year cost the company more than $20 million. The report for the year to May 31 lists one payout of more than $3.5 million, likely to have gone to former chief executive Craig Norgate.
Two payouts of more than $2 million and two exceeding $1 million were also made as well as several others of more than $500,000.
Other top executives to go in a management reshuffle last year were New Zealand Milk boss David Pilkington, chief development officer Alexander Toldte and director of human resources Glen Petersen.
