Nitin Paranjpe: Unilever's Mr Dependable takes the spotlight

He is known as a go-getter who has delivered across roles he held within the company

Unilever’s move to elevate Nitin Paranjpe, president, foods and refreshment, to the position of chief operating officer (COO) did not surprise many. The world’s second-largest consumer goods company has been struggling at an overall level, having missed Street estimates on sales in the fourth quarter of calendar year 2018 (firm follows a January-December accounting year).

While Argentina, facing inflationary pressures, and developed markets (such as Europe) were to blame for the lower-than-expected Q4 sales, announced in January, Alan Jope, who took charge as Unilever chief executive officer (CEO) around the same time, was hardly starting his innings on a positive note,