M S Banga - The eternal diplomat

NEWSMAKER

M S Banga,
Non-executive Chairman,
HLL unilever's home and personal care head in asia

In February, Hindustan Lever (HLL) chairman Manvinder Singh Banga, 49, was one of the few multinational chieftains to openly champion the cause of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad's ongoing tussle with the powers that be.

People say that so committed was Banga, that he didn't mind being woken up at unearthly hours even when he was in London. Once again, Banga is in the news. This time, for his elevation as business group president of parent Unilever's $6 billion home and personal care (HPC) business in Asia.

He will, however, continue to be the non-executive chairman of HLL. Asia is Unilever's biggest HPC market accounting for about 27 per cent of its over $22 billion business.

In the midst of all this, Banga found time to send a get-well card and flowers to RPG group chairman Harsh Goenka who was ailing. "It was very thoughtful of him," says Goenka.

What does it say about Banga? "The only way to describe him is 'propah'. He is suave, sophisticated with a right word for the right occasion," says one of his college batchmates. "He is truly blue blooded," he adds, pointing out that "impatience can be his middle name".

Often the first executive to reach office and the last to leave, one of his colleagues at HLL says that "Vindi is not afraid of calling a spade a spade".

Son of a lieutenant general, Banga nearly ended up joining the army. Having marched through the National Defence Academy examination, he finally abandoned the idea as he didn't want to commit 20 years in any job.

Instead, he chose to do his mechanical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, and later IIM, Ahmedabad. A brilliant student, Banga won gold medals at both the institutions. In fact, his wife Kamini Gupta, a brilliant market researcher, was one of his IIM batchmates.

That he spent 23 years at HLL is a different story. Vying for the top job with colleague Harish Manwani, Banga was finally anointed head in May 2000, when boss and mentor, Keki Dadiseth moved to Unilever. Manwani now heads Unilever North America.

Banga was earlier executive director and head of the soaps and detergents business before he moved to the Unilever London headquarters.

Unfortunately, he picked up the reins, perhaps during HLL's most challenging phase. For the past four years, he has been under pressure to deliver topline growth. Shedding unwanted businesses, he rationalised HLL's 110 brands to 30 power brands, which account for over 80 per cent of its FMCG business.

He also drove HLL into new businesses like confectionery and ayurvedic health and beauty care. "Banga was the one who created the Annapurna brand," says an HLL manager. The mass-market brand went on to win Unilever's Foods Innovation Award in 1998.

That it is bleeding today is something of great concern to him. In fact, Banga watchers say, that this is the first big challenge for the five-feet eleven inch Banga, who is often been termed a go getter.

"Everybody wants to know why the golden boy of the golden company is not producing golden results," says a corporate head. Even so, the jury is still out in terms of whether Banga has what it takes to fix HLL.

And there are many who think he can. Known not to make snap decisions, many have hailed Banga's move to "fix the fundamentals". And his stress busters? Swimming and golf.A late entrant on Page 3, his college photographs show Banga as a turbaned Sikh.

While folklore has it that the turban came off after the Sikh riots, Banga claims he was only fulfilling his young son's desire to knock off his locks. Once again, the diplomat at play.