MR SUSIM DATTA TO STEP DOWN AS CHAIRPERSON OF CASTROL INDIA BOARD MR R GOPALAKRISHNAN TO BE NEW CHAIRPERSON EFFECTIVE 1 OCTOBER 2019
Mumbai, 29 July 2019
Castrol India Limited announced the decision of Mr. Susim Datta to step down from his role as the Chairperson and Independent Director of Castrol India (CIL) Board of Directors after serving for 23 years. The CIL Board passed a resolution with respect to Mr. Datta’s decision at the Board Meeting held today.
In his long and illustrious career, Mr. Datta is known as a senior corporate statesman having served as Chairman of Hindustan Lever Limited as well as of Unilever Group of Companies in India and Nepal. He has also served on the Board of several reputed Indian corporates.
Mr. R Gopalakrishnan, who has been an Independent Director on CIL’s Board, will succeed Mr. Datta as the new Chairperson effective 1 October 2019.
Mr. Gopalakrishnan has over fifty years of management experience having lived and worked in India, the UK and Saudi Arabia. He began his career in 1967 as a computer analyst with Hindustan Lever after studying physics in Kolkata and electronic engineering at IIT Kharagpur. He has attended the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.
During his career in Unilever, he held critical positions as Chairman of the Arabian subsidiary based in Jeddah. Thereafter, he was Managing Director, Brooke Bond Lipton India and then Vice Chairman of Hindustan Lever. He was later an Executive Director at Tata Sons, based in Mumbai. He is currently on the Boards of a few other companies and has written several books on the subject of management.
On the occasion Omer Dormen, Managing Director, Castrol India said: “On behalf of the Company, I would like to acknowledge the significant contribution that Mr. Datta has made to the business for over two decades through his strategic vision, perspective and directional guidance. This has helped Castrol India achieve sustained success, growth and increased shareholder value. I would also like to congratulate Mr. Gopalakrishnan on his appointment, and I am confident that Castrol India will continue to grow from strength to strength under his leadership.”
