HUL changes its business approach, Sanjiv Mehta remains at the helm

Unilever has changed its business model, focusing on categories rather than regions. Sanjiv Mehta will remain chairman and managing director of Hindustan Unilever (HUL). According to media reports, Mehta is still president of South Asia.

The corporation announced that it will drop its present matrix structure in favour of five different business groups: beauty & wellness, personal care, home care, nutrition, and ice cream. According to a press release, "Each business group will be fully responsible and accountable for their strategy, growth, and profit delivery globally."

The position of COO will become obsolete as the focus shifts to categories rather than regions. From April 1, Nitin Paranjpe, Unilever's current COO, will take over as chief transformation and chief people's officer, leading business change and overseeing the HR function.

Alan Jope, Unilever's chief executive officer, said in a global news statement, “Our new organisational model has been developed over the last year and is designed to continue the step-up we are seeing in the performance of our business. Moving to five category-focused business groups will enable us to be more responsive to consumer and channel trends, with crystal-clear accountability for delivery. Growth remains our top priority and these changes will underpin our pursuit of this."