New Delhi: The Coca-Cola Company announced that Hemant Rupani, a veteran business leader with experience across several companies and industries, will join Bangalore-based bottler Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. as CEO, effective 8 September.
Rupani comes to Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, or HCCB, after a nine-year career with Mondelez International Inc. Rupani currently serves as Mondelez’s business unit president for Southeast Asia, which includes Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Rupani will succeed the current HCCB CEO Juan Pablo Rodriguez, who is moving to a new opportunity in the Coca-Cola system and will report to the HCCB board of directors.
Rupani is a highly accomplished business leader who has delivered impressive results and driven commercial success throughout his career. He brings a strong blend of experience in both Indian and multinational organisations. HCCB looks forward to him helping deliver on the bottler’s considerable investment in India.
Rupani, a native of India, joined Mondelez in 2016 as director of sales for India. He went on to serve as vice president and managing director for Vietnam before being promoted to his current role in 2022.
Rupani began his career in 1997 with the paint company ICI India Limited. In 1999, he joined PepsiCo in India and, in 2002, moved to Infosys Technologies. In 2004, he returned to PepsiCo, where he spent the next six years. He held roles of increasing responsibility, eventually becoming senior vice president, customer marketing, India Beverages.
In 2010, Rupani joined Vodafone and, in 2014, moved to food company Britannia Industries as vice president, sales and business head, breads.
Rupani earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Regional Engineering College in Jaipur, India and an MBA in marketing from the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi.
HCCB is the largest Coca-Cola bottler in India. In December 2024, The Coca-Cola Company announced an agreement for Jubilant Bhartia Group to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Hindustan Coca-Cola Holdings Pvt. Ltd., HCCB’s parent company.
