Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia has appointed Aditya Kankaria as Senior Director – Integrated Operations, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB).
In his new role, Kankaria will oversee integrated operations with a focus on driving operational excellence, accelerating transformation initiatives and enabling sustainable and profitable growth. He will also work closely with bottling partners and cross-functional teams to strengthen commercial execution and build organisational capabilities across the business.
Bringing cross-sector leadership experience
Kankaria joins Coca-Cola with more than 16 years of leadership experience spanning the telecom and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sectors.
Prior to joining HCCB, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Airtel’s Mumbai Circle, where he was responsible for driving market leadership, consumer growth and profitability in one of the company’s key markets.
Leadership roles at Unilever
Before his stint at Airtel, Kankaria spent several years with Unilever across South Asia and Bangladesh, holding leadership positions across the organisation.
Most recently, he led Unilever’s Nutrition, Foods and Refreshments business, overseeing growth and business transformation initiatives in the region.
Focus on operational excellence and growth
At HCCB, Kankaria is expected to play a key role in advancing operational efficiency, strengthening commercial execution and supporting the company’s long-term growth strategy.
His appointment comes as Coca-Cola continues to focus on enhancing execution capabilities and driving transformation across its operations in India and Southwest Asia.
Strong academic credentials
Kankaria is an alumnus of XLRI Jamshedpur and the National Institute of Technology (NIT), Tiruchirappalli. He brings extensive experience in business leadership, commercial operations and organisational transformation.