‘We focused on branding of co for comeback’
LUCKNOW: Chairman and managing director, Nestle India, Suresh Narayanan shared his experiences of spearheading one of the most successful FMCG brands of the country.
He was in Lucknow on Thursday as special guest at an event organised by Yi (Young Indians) Lucknow chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry. The session was based on the revolutionary turnaround of one of the world’s leading FMCG brand, Nestle.
Suresh Narayanan had steered the company out of crisis in 2015 when a random test on a sample of the company’s instant noodles, Maggi, found lead content beyond the permissible level. He took over the company during this crucial phase.
Speaking on the occasion, Narayanan shared with the gathering how the company’s sales went down after the controversy. “With hard work, commitment and dedicated team work we were able to make a turnaround. In about six months, sales were back on track,” he said.
On the controversy related to Maggi in 2015, Narayanan said: “When the controversy took place, our rivals hyped the issue and we did not get time to present our view.”
Commenting on the strategy followed by the company to make a revival, he said: “We did not break communication with our stakeholders all across the country. All communication channels were open with our staff also.”
The Nestle has big channel partners all over the country.
“Once samples of Maggi cleared the tests, we focused on marketing and branding of the company to make a comeback in the market,” he pointed out.
He also shared his experience of spearheading a big company like Nestle and gave valuable tips to industrialists on how to run a business venture successfully. More than 150 businessmen, professionals and food processing start-ups participated in the event.
Prominent among those present on the occasion included Gaurav Lath, Dhruv Seth, Smita Agarwal, Jai Agarwal and Sachin Agarwal.
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When the (Maggi) controversy took place, our rivals hyped the issue and we did not get time to present our view. SURESH NARAYANAN, CMD, Nestle India