Samunnati appoints Unilever veteran Badri Narayanan as Group CEO designate

Featured in thehindubusinessline.com

Agri value chain enabler Samunnati has announced a strategic leadership realignment to deepen its focus on empowering smallholder farmers and driving transformative growth in the agri-ecosystem.

Badri Narayanan, a former Unilever veteran, has been appointed as the Group CEO Designate, and Anil Kumar SG, Founder & Group CEO, will be elevated to the position of Founder & Managing Director, the company said.

This transition will allow Anil Kumar to channel his energy towards shaping long-term strategic initiatives, fostering impactful partnerships, and scaling innovative models that strengthen Samunnati’s role as a thought leader in the agricultural sector, the company said in a statement. His new role emphasises advancing sustainable solutions that enable growth for smallholder farmers and build resilient value chains across the ecosystem.

Badri Narayanan will focus on operational excellence, ensuring seamless execution of Samunnati’s vision and mission. Over the next 6–8 Save months, upon the completion of the integration processes, Badri Narayanan will transition to the role of Group CEO, leading Samunnati’s operations.

With more than 24 years of experience at Unilever, Badri Narayanan brings a wealth of expertise in general management, sales, marketing, digital commerce, and operations. He has a proven track record of driving success in emerging markets and leading global initiatives. Badri is recognized for his leadership in driving customer growth, digital commerce, and distribution strategies in consumer goods. A certified ontological and leadership coach, Badri Narayanan is also deeply passionate about digital transformation through technology integration across value chains, the company said.

Speaking on the leadership realignment, Anil Kumar SG said, “This is a pivotal moment for Samunnati. This elevation provides me the bandwidth to steer the organization’s long-term strategic vision and collaborate across the agri-ecosystem. With Badri’s appointment as Group CEO Designate, Samunnati will further strengthen its operational excellence and ability to scale farmer-centric solutions that enable growth and resilience for smallholder farmers.”

You might also like

Samunnati raises $4.5 million to extend small ag finance in India

17 March 2017

Samunnati raises $4.5 million to extend small ag finance in India

Chennai-based agriculture finance company Samunnati raised $4.5 million from Accel Partners, Elevar Equity and others. The company provides credit, loans,...

Rethinking India’s agricultural ecosystem

4 June 2020

Rethinking India’s agricultural ecosystem

Featured in ET Insights Agriculture, as we all know, has uncertainties and seasonalities. In addition to monsoon, pest and disease incidence,...

Synchrony inks MoA with UoH for agri project

2 November 2020

Synchrony inks MoA with UoH for agri project

Featured in Times of India Hyderabad: US-based consumer financial services player Synchrony has inked a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with the...

Samunnati is back in the black for FY24 on higher dispersal to Agri units, FPOs

7 May 2024

Samunnati is back in the black for FY24 on higher dispersal to Agri units, FPOs

Featured in The hindu businessline Clocks PBT of ₹ 21.8 crore against a loss of ₹ 129.7 crore in previous year  Agri-value chain financier Samunnati...