Nestlé Lanka has announced that its Managing Director, Shivani Hegde, will be moving to Nestlé’s global headquarters in Switzerland to lead food category developmentfor Asia, Oceania and Africa. Nestlé’s local operations will be taken over by Fabrice Cavallin, currently Regional Business Head - Infant Nutrition for South Asia, effective 1 January 2019.
Shivani Hegde joined Nestlé in India as a Management Trainee in 1986, equipped with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. She has been with Nestlé for 32 years, with diverse experience across the Foods business, Nestlé Professional (out-of-home business), Human Resources and Sales. She has served as a member of Nestlé’s Global Marketing Leadership Council, Head of Human Resources for Nestlé India, Chairman of Nestlé’s R&D Centre in India, and Executive Vice President of Nestlé’s Food business in South Asia. She is currently an active member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and its Economic Policy Committee, representing the F&B industry on topics of national importance.
Prior to her role in Nestlé Lanka, she was responsible for the Maggi brand in India. She grew the brand for more than 15 years to become a household favourite for Indian families across the country, and be consistently recognised as one of India’s top brands.
Shivani took over Nestlé’s operations in Sri Lanka and the Maldives in January 2015. She was the first female Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka and the first female on the company’s board. She placed a strong focus on laying the foundation for future growth during her time in the company, investing strongly in people, innovation, capacity and brands.
Under her leadership, the company made its biggest investment of LKR 5 billion to support its export of coconut-based products to 50 countries; and also launched a record number of product innovations and renovations to cater to local consumer preferences. Her strong focus on people development provided over a third of the company’s executives with overseas training and assignments, and saw the driving of diversity-friendly policies and initiatives to ensure equal opportunity for all. She also launched the Nestlé Coconut Plan to secure coconut supply and farming family livelihoods in Sri Lanka, and the Nestlé Needs YOUth programme to provide young people with skills and training to enhance their employability.
Since Shivani took the helm at Nestlé Lanka, the company has steadily gained recognition and respect from varying stakeholders, winning a number of significant awards and recognitions year on year for business performance, social contribution and people development. These include Sri Lanka’s Most Respected Food and Beverage Company, Most Valuable Food and Beverage Company, and Best Corporate Citizen in the Manufacturing Sector.
Fabrice Cavallin, a Swiss national, started his career with Nestlé in Switzerland in 1995 as an International Auditor. His international career with Nestlé includes several successful General Management roles for Nestlé’s bottled water and nutrition business across the USA, Argentina, Mexico, Germany, Spain and India. In his current role, Fabrice has achieved outstanding results for the nutrition business in South Asia, delivering strong growth in a highly competitive environment. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.