Mr. Sameer Suneja, Managing Director of the confectionery giant Perfetti Van Melle India, is moving on to an international assignment. Mr. Ramesh Jayaraman, who is currently the Managing Director of the company’s businesses in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, will be the new Managing Director of Perfetti Van Melle India.
Mr. Suneja, 40, will now be based in the Netherlands and take on a larger responsibility in the global operation of the company. He will report to the global CEO of Perfetti, Mr. Ubaldo Traldi. In his 15-year stint with the company in various capacities, he has played a key role in the company’s growth and has been heading the Indian business for the last four years
Professor Pankaj Chandra, Director, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, says: “Mr. Sameer Suneja’s achievement is a sign that Indian managers, who have succeeded in addressing diverse & complex markets such as India, have tremendous experience and exposure to lead competitive consumer markets around the world. It gives me great joy and satisfaction that IIM Bangalore creates a vibrant learning environment for building global leaders like Sameer Suneja, through holistic and transformative education. IIMB celebrates this phenomenal achievement.”
Suneja’s rise to the top comes on the back of being an astute leader, high growth in the India market, innovative product positioning and pricing strategy, and calculated risks that paid off richly, such as the launch of Stop Not range of snacks, taking the Group to the non-confectionery segment for the first time.
But above all, Suneja is known for building the PVMI brands through cutting edge advertising campaigns. For this, his modus operandi was to give his agencies absolute freedom and respect. “Sameer believes good creatives make or break brands, and really trusts the instincts of his creative partners. On the Perfetti account, there is no servicing – they directly deal with the creative people,” says KV Sridhar, Chief Creative Officer, India Subcontinent, Leo Burnett, one of the three creative partners of Perfetti in India, the other two being Ogilvy & Mather and McCann Erickson.
