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It took them years of hard work to reach the top positions at India’s home-grown dairy giant – Amul. As founders or managing directors (MDs), these dairy professionals were part of the red carpet club, rubbing shoulders not only with the likes of presidents and prime ministers, but also the world’s Who’s Who. Sadly, their exits after their tenures came to an end have been despicably inglorious.
TOI’s Prashant Rupera looks at how boardroom battles have often led to professionals leaving the prestigious institute with a bitter aftertaste – be it the institution builder late Dr Verghese Kurien to the current episode of R S Sodhi – the creme de la creme of the Amul crop did not even get a formal farewell even after serving the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) for decades.
DR VERGHESE KURIEN
Fondly known as the father of India’s White Revolution, November 26 is celebrated annually as national milk day in memory of the legendary milkman, Dr Verghese Kurien, the doyen of milk cooperatives. During his lifetime, he received some of the highest civilian awards including the Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.
But this institution builder who was the founder chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), and IRMA, the Institute of Rural Management at Anand, faced an unceremonious exit sans any formal farewell from both the GCMMF and IRMA.
Under his leadership, NDDB initiated the ‘billion-litre idea’ (Operation Flood) in 1970, which in a span of 26 years turned India into the world’s largest milk producer, surpassing the United States in 1998.
In 2006, pre-empting his ouster by the board of GCMMF, where he had created the iconic brand – Amul – Dr Kurien hung his boots at the age of 84, marking the end of the epochal era in India’s dairy co-operative sector.
B M VYAS
Hand-picked by Dr Kurien, B M Vyas joined the GCMMF in 1978. Vyas, who went on to become its managing director (MD) in 1994, was instrumental in diversifying the Amul brand, during his 16 years tenure as MD, which until then was essentially known for its milk only.
Vyas helped Amul expand its reach through 30 dairy plants and also added 40 new products to its shelves including cheese, ice cream, paneer, and ghee after he commissioned the Indian Market Research Bureau(IMRB) in 1996. With an eight-fold rise in its sales, the GCMMF turned into Rs 8,000 crore body. But in June 2010, Vyas had to put in his papers, thanks to the intense politicking involving heads of 13 member unions who lobbied for the ouster of chairman Parthi Bhatol that had been underway since early that year, over the chairmanship of GCMMF. Bhatol was enjoying his second threeyear term at the federation.
Vyas, whose service contract was due to end on November 30, 2010, and was already on a five-year extension, exited the federation abruptly.
R S SODHI
As a young professional who had just graduated from the first batch of IRMA, R S Sodhi joined GCMMF in March 1982 as a sales officer in Jaipur. At that time, the federation’s turnover was just Rs 121 crore. By end of the financial year 2022-23, GCMMF is expected to turn into a Rs 72,000 crore body.
At GCMMF, Sodhi was groomed under Dr Kurien. After Vyas’s exit, Sodhi took over as managing director (MD) of GCMMF in June 2010. At this point, the federation’s turnover was Rs 8,005 crore handling just 88 lakh litres of milk every day. Under Sodhi’s watch, the GCMMF started sourcing milk from states other than Gujarat, increased its milk procurement, strengthened the distribution and sales network, and entered into new product categories right from beverages to non-dairy segments with the latest being the organic range.
After working for 40 years and nine months with Amul, Sodhi stepped down this week unsung, unacknowledged by the GCMMF’s board for his humongous contribution to building the brand that has entered into the league of the Top Ten global dairy processors today.
TOI’s Prashant Rupera looks at how boardroom battles have often led to professionals leaving the prestigious institute with a bitter aftertaste – be it the institution builder late Dr Verghese Kurien to the current episode of R S Sodhi – the creme de la creme of the Amul crop did not even get a formal farewell even after serving the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) for decades.
DR VERGHESE KURIEN
Fondly known as the father of India’s White Revolution, November 26 is celebrated annually as national milk day in memory of the legendary milkman, Dr Verghese Kurien, the doyen of milk cooperatives. During his lifetime, he received some of the highest civilian awards including the Padma Shree, Padma Bhushan, and Padma Vibhushan.
But this institution builder who was the founder chairman of the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), and IRMA, the Institute of Rural Management at Anand, faced an unceremonious exit sans any formal farewell from both the GCMMF and IRMA.
Under his leadership, NDDB initiated the ‘billion-litre idea’ (Operation Flood) in 1970, which in a span of 26 years turned India into the world’s largest milk producer, surpassing the United States in 1998.
In 2006, pre-empting his ouster by the board of GCMMF, where he had created the iconic brand – Amul – Dr Kurien hung his boots at the age of 84, marking the end of the epochal era in India’s dairy co-operative sector.
B M VYAS
Hand-picked by Dr Kurien, B M Vyas joined the GCMMF in 1978. Vyas, who went on to become its managing director (MD) in 1994, was instrumental in diversifying the Amul brand, during his 16 years tenure as MD, which until then was essentially known for its milk only.
Vyas helped Amul expand its reach through 30 dairy plants and also added 40 new products to its shelves including cheese, ice cream, paneer, and ghee after he commissioned the Indian Market Research Bureau(IMRB) in 1996. With an eight-fold rise in its sales, the GCMMF turned into Rs 8,000 crore body. But in June 2010, Vyas had to put in his papers, thanks to the intense politicking involving heads of 13 member unions who lobbied for the ouster of chairman Parthi Bhatol that had been underway since early that year, over the chairmanship of GCMMF. Bhatol was enjoying his second threeyear term at the federation.
Vyas, whose service contract was due to end on November 30, 2010, and was already on a five-year extension, exited the federation abruptly.
R S SODHI
As a young professional who had just graduated from the first batch of IRMA, R S Sodhi joined GCMMF in March 1982 as a sales officer in Jaipur. At that time, the federation’s turnover was just Rs 121 crore. By end of the financial year 2022-23, GCMMF is expected to turn into a Rs 72,000 crore body.
At GCMMF, Sodhi was groomed under Dr Kurien. After Vyas’s exit, Sodhi took over as managing director (MD) of GCMMF in June 2010. At this point, the federation’s turnover was Rs 8,005 crore handling just 88 lakh litres of milk every day. Under Sodhi’s watch, the GCMMF started sourcing milk from states other than Gujarat, increased its milk procurement, strengthened the distribution and sales network, and entered into new product categories right from beverages to non-dairy segments with the latest being the organic range.
After working for 40 years and nine months with Amul, Sodhi stepped down this week unsung, unacknowledged by the GCMMF’s board for his humongous contribution to building the brand that has entered into the league of the Top Ten global dairy processors today.
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