The Hindu Business Line : Martial Rolland takes over as Nestle India CMD

MR Martial Rolland has taken over the driver's seat at Nestle India literally - with a whistle-stop tour of the remote corners of the country for the next two months — to get a feel of the Indian consumer and first-hand knowledge of the market he will be catering to.

Though the new Chairman and Managing Director of the company is no stranger to India and has worked here before, he is interested in probing deeper into Indian consumer psyche, "there is a lot I need to learn,'' Mr Rolland, who was earlier Market Head of Nestle Turkey, told Business Line.

He has taken over the reins of Nestle India from Mr Carlo Donati at a time when the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) market in the country has been witnessing sluggish growth. The most immediate challenge Mr Rolland is likely to face is the price-value equation that is keeping companies in the sector on their toes.

However, Nestle has been able to keep pace with its competitors in this sphere by adding the smaller pack sizes (and lower prices) to its product portfolio. Analysts tracking the company expect no drastic policy changes due to the change of guard.

For the quarter ended September 2004, Nestle India clocked 61 per cent higher net profit at Rs 68.85 crore while net sales were Rs 560.02 crore.

The company's operations have clocked several milestones during the six-and-a-half year stint of Mr Donati.

For example, under Mr Donati, India became the largest market for Maggi noodles within the Nestle operations worldwide. Munch, the chocolate brand launched about four years ago, has become the largest SKU (stock keeping unit) in the segment, whereas the foray into products like Dahi has contributed to the company's success in recent years.

Meanwhile, Mr Donati is moving on to become the Worldwide Chairman and CEO of Nestlé Waters. This may seem a wee bit ironic, since water business is perhaps the only business that did not taste success under Mr Donati's stint in India. Asked whether he would like to once again consider launching water in India as part of his new responsibility, Mr Donati said: "India is too big a market to ignore. So as I see it we will come to this market eventually".

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