French food giant Danone said it has proposed Hindustan Unilever‘s managing director Sanjiv Mehta as an independent member of its board. If approved at Danone’s shareholders’ meeting on 27th April, the appointment will mark the full renewal of the board.

At present, Mehta is the CEO and managing director of India’s biggest consumer goods company HUL, a role he will leave on June 26, 2023. If approved, he will join Danone’s Board effective July 1, 2023. The company said Mehta is a high-calibre executive with in-depth knowledge of the consumer goods sector and diversified international expertise, particularly on Asian markets.

“The proposed appointment of Sanjiv Mehta is another positive step forward for Danone, and will mark the swift and full renewal of Danone’s Board. He has deep consumer goods and international experience, which will add to the existing expertise across our diversified team of leading experts spanning health, consumer goods, ESG, and finance,” Gilles Schnepp, Chairman of Danone’s board of directors, said in a statement. “Our board is fully engaged and ambitious, with the skills to further progress our strategic plan Renew Danone, to create value for our shareholders and stakeholder community.

Mehta is also the president commissioner (non executive chairman) of the listed company PT Unilever Indonesia Ptk and a director of the non listed company Air India Limited.

Mehta, 62, took over as the MD and CEO of HUL in October 2013, leading the business through a period of sustained growth. During his decade at the helm, the business crossed the Rs 50,000 crore turnover mark and the market capitalisation of the company increased more than four times from $17 billion to $75 billion (Rs 5.8 lakh crore), reinforcing HUL’s position as one of India’s most valuable businesses.

Mehta oversaw the Indian business outpacing Brazil to become the second largest market behind the US in terms of sales for Anglo-Dutch consumer products giant Unilever. In addition, HUL’s operating margins are at its highest ever at 23.8% now, jumping nearly 8 percentage points over the past nine years, even as sales doubled.