Coke's Pendurkar to head Kellogg

Kellogg India is set to add some fizz to its management profile. Coca-Cola’s vice-president, strategy and commercial beverages, Sangeeta Pendurkar, is quitting the beverage maker to take over as managing director of the world’s largest cereal maker’s India unit in two months.

A Kellogg India spokesperson confirmed the move. “Sangeeta Pendurkar will be joining us as MD in due course of time,” she said. Ms Pendurkar could not be reached for comment.

Ms Pendurkar will replace Anupam Dutta who, after three years as managing director of Kellogg India, relocated last month to head Kellogg’s South Africa and sub-Saharan operations.

Over the past 18 months at Coca-Cola, Ms Pendurkar steered the revamp of the company’s Georgia tea and coffee businesses, and innovations in beverages such as extending Coca-Cola’s juice brand Minute Maid to local nimbu paani under the name Nimbu Fresh.

Working across functions such as marketing, sales and distribution for over 20 years, Ms Pendurkar started her career with Hindustan Ciba-Geigy (now Novartis). She has also had stints with HSBC Bank Middle East, Hindustan Unilever and Kimberly Clark.

Kellogg India is a critical emerging market for the Michigan, US-based $13-billion Kellogg company. According to the company’s website, Asia-Pacific contributes about one-thirds to its turnover.