TURNAROUND To Take-off

Mr. Arvind Uppal is a B. Tech from IIT Delhi and holds a Masters in Business Administration from FMS, Delhi. He has also completed an Executive Program at I.M.D Switzerland. With over 33 years in the consumer industry, he first gained prominence at Nestlé, particularly for his work on the Maggi brand across multiple countries. He then served as President Asia Pacific for Whirlpool Corporation, leading a notable operational turnaround. Presently, Mr. Uppal is the Non-Executive Chairman of Whirlpool of India Ltd. and a Director at Gulf Oil Lubricants India Limited. He holds board positions at Amber Enterprises India Limited, Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd. (Landmark Group), Tuscan Ventures Private Limited, IL JIN Electronics (India) Private Limited, Tirex Transmission Private Limited, and acts as an Industry Advisor to Advent International.

Mr. Pratik Pota is the Managing Director and CEO at Eureka Forbes Ltd., one of India’s leading consumer durables companies. In a career spanning more than three decades, Mr. Pota has held leadership positions at some of India’s leading companies, including Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo, and Bharti Airtel. In his last role as CEO of Jubilant Foodworks Ltd., the master franchisee for Domino’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Popeyes in South Asia, Mr. Pota led the turnaround of the business. He implemented a new strategy for growth for the Company, drove digital transformation for Domino’s and made it ready to compete in a post-aggregator world, launched new cuisines and entered new international markets such as Turkey, Russia, and Bangladesh. Top-line growth surged and EBITDA margins doubled, leading to JFL’s market capitalisation growing almost ten-fold in the five years of his leadership. In his earlier stint, he was the COO, Beverages and Foods at PepsiCo India. He was also the CEO of NourishCo Beverages, which was then a 50-50 JV between PepsiCo and Tata Global Beverages; he turned around the fledgling business and put it on the path to grow and scale. Earlier in his career, he has held several leadership positions at Hindustan Unilever Ltd. and Bharti Airtel. As part of this, one of his memorable stints at HUL included the conceptualisation, design, and launch of Project Shakti, India’s pioneering micro-finance based rural initiative which involved partnering with Government, MFIs, and NGOs to create and empower women entrepreneurs in self help groups to distribute HUL’s products in small, remote villages. This was widely recognised as an innovative and pioneering business model which was then scaled up by Unilever globally. An entrepreneur leader at heart, he is a distinguished Alumnus of BITS Pilani and an MBA from IIM Calcutta.

Mr. Sahil Dalal joined Advent in 2009 and leads Advent India’s investing efforts in the Retail, Consumer and Leisure sector, and the Technology / Technology Services sector. Prior to Advent, Mr. Dalal was an associate with JLL Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, where he focussed on buyout and growth equity transactions. Prior to JLL Partners, Mr. Dalal spent three years with Bear Stearns in New York as an analyst in its Investment Banking division. He has 18 years of experience in Private Equity and 21 years of experience in Financial Services. He has a BBA with High Distinction from The Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and an MBA from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He has led, co-led, and supported on 12 investments at Advent. He is also a Director in Advent India PE Advisors Private Limited, DFM Foods Limited and Modenik Lifestyle Private Limited, and was previously a Director at Crompton Greaves Consumer Electricals Limited.

Mr. Vinod Rao holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Madras University and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He attended a Senior Executive Programme at London Business School. With over 35 years in finance roles, Mr. Rao has worked with global giants such as Diageo, PepsiCo, and ICI, spanning industries like FMCG and consumer durables. His last executive role was Group Treasurer and Head of Investor Relations at Diageo Plc, London. He possesses expertise in both developed and developing markets, including India, China, and Europe. Additionally, he serves as a Director in Cohance Lifesciences Limited, United Spirits Limited and acts as a Trustee for the UK-based Isha Foundation.

Mrs. Gurveen Singh earned her Bachelor’s in Philosophy Honours from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University, and further honed her skills with a Post Graduate degree in ‘Personnel Management and Industrial Relations’ from Xavier Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur. She is a seasoned specialist in human resource management with a 42-year career span. She retired as the Chief Human Resources Officer of Reckitt Benckiser PLC, a FTSE 20 Company, in 2020. She holds board positions with Carlsberg India Private Limited and VLCC Health Care Limited. Her career also includes key HR roles in the hospitality, manufacturing, and FMCG industry. She also had a global career with Reckitt Benckiser both in developing and developed markets. Mrs. Singh has been instrumental in establishing foundational HR

Mr. Homi Katgara, Partner, is the youngest of the fourth generation of the founding family which established Jeena & Company 125 years ago, making them the pioneers of Freight Forwarding in India. During his tenure of nearly 43 years in the forwarding industry, Mr. Katgara has been actively involved in the day-to-day management of Jeena & Company. He is also a Partner and Director in various Jeena Group companies and serves as an Independent Director at Quantum Trustee Company. Despite his demanding schedule, he also dedicates his time as the Managing Trustee of Masina Hospital, one of Bombay’s oldest and most revered institutions. Mr. Katgara has been the Past President of the Air Cargo Club of Bombay and has also served on the committee at the Rotary Club of Bombay and the Balloting & Disciplinary Committee of The Willingdon Sports Club – one of the premier sporting clubs in Bombay. He was also a Committee Member of the Indo Canadian Business Chamber. Apart from the above, he is also into real estate and on the philanthropic side, strongly believes in “giving back to society what we have received from it” which he does through Charitable Trusts & Foundations set up by the family.

Mr. Shashank Samant is a global technology leader, investor, board member, and advisor with over 30 years of experience across 20+ countries. He has founded and scaled two multi-billion-dollar technology companies and is passionate about using technology and AI to create meaningful business and societal impact. Most notably, Mr. Samant served as CEO and President of GlobalLogic, leading its growth and eventual $10 Billion acquisition by Hitachi in 2021. He subsequently held leadership and board roles across several Hitachi businesses and currently serves on the boards of Hitachi Energy and Hitachi Rail, while advising Hitachi’s Group CEO. He also sits on several public and private boards including Board of Trustees of prestigious Harvey Mudd College in California. Earlier in his career, he helped build and take Ness Technologies public on NASDAQ and held leadership roles at Citicorp, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard. He is also a board member and advisor to several technology companies, private equity firms, and academic institutions. A recognised thought leader and speaker on digital transformation and AI, he advises CEOs and boards on growth, innovation, and leadership. He studied at Pune University and lives in Atherton, California, with his family.