India in the Lead
L’Oréal elevates India Leaders to new regional roles across South Asia Pacific, Middile East, North America (SAPMENA)
In an interesting move and perhaps given that L’Oreal has nurtured great Indian talent within the organisation, the company has appointed a bunch of Indians in leadership positions across Asia Pacific, Middle East and North Africa (SAPMENA)
Kavita Angre was appointed as Director – Consumer & Market Insights, SAPMENA, Aalok Oke becomes Deputy Director – Operations, SAPMENA, Yogesh Suradkar appointed Director – Research & Innovation, India &SAPMENA, and Rajesh Gopal takes on additional responsibilities as Chief Information Officer, India and Middle East & North Africa (MENA) countries.
All four were in different roles in India earlier.
Aalok Oke started his career at L’Oréal in 1999 working on all aspects of operations across India, Europe and Japan. Recognized for his entrepreneurial mindset, delivery on results and building high performing teams, Aalok grew to become the Director of Operations India, a position he held for over four years. Aalok has a deep understanding of operations and product development and his expertise will be key for leading emerging markets in his new role as Deputy Director – Operations, SAPMENA region. Kavita Angre joined L’Oréal India in 2013 as the Consumer & Market Insights (CMI) Director. Having worked across markets including India, UK and Singapore, and different product categories, she brings a strong understanding of the beauty consumer, backed by critical analytical skills. In 2018, she took additional charge of the Media function in India. In her new role, Kavita will lead the CMI function for the SAPMENA Zone and help L’Oréal build a stronger understanding of beauty consumers and share actionable insights for driving growth. She will also be responsible for M&A opportunities in the region.
Yogesh Suradkar joined L’Oréal in India in 2016 as a General Manager, Cosmetics Metiers and was promoted to Director of Research & Innovation in India in 2019. He brings with him over 15 years of experience in Beauty & Grooming across categories and the academic world where he worked as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai. In this role, Yogesh will be responsible for creating holistic beauty experiences through disruptive and sustainable innovations to transform the lives of 3 billion consumers in the SAPMENA zone.
Commenting on the developments, Amit Jain – Managing Director, L’Oréal India said, “I am delighted to see Kavita, Aalok, Yogesh and Rajesh selected to lead critical roles central to Loreal’s global growth strategy. It is testimony to India’s unique position as a talent hub for L’Oréal globally. The experience of these leaders having worked in a diverse and complex market like India, is an important asset and will help shape L’Oréal’s beauty leadership and transformative growth across the SAPMENA zone.”