Shiva Krishnamurthy Appointed CEO of General Mills India, Joins from Hindustan Unilever

Shiva Krishnamurthy has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of General Mills India, effective January 2026. He will be based in Mumbai and will lead the company’s next phase of growth in the Indian market.

Krishnamurthy joins General Mills after a long and distinguished career of over 25 years at Hindustan Unilever. Most recently, he served as Executive Director – Foods & Refreshment, where he led major categories including tea, coffee, and foods. In this role, he oversaw a business with revenues of approximately €1.5 billion.

During his tenure at Hindustan Unilever, Krishnamurthy held several senior leadership roles across functions and geographies. His experience includes vice president positions across tea, coffee, and foods, as well as earlier brand leadership roles in beverages, fabric care, and skin cleansing across India and South East Asia. His career spans P&L leadership, category expansion, portfolio transformation, and regional brand management in both domestic and international markets.

At General Mills India, Krishnamurthy will be responsible for driving the company’s growth strategy, strengthening its market presence, and building on the existing business foundation.

Commenting on his appointment in a post on LinkedIn, Krishnamurthy said he was delighted to join General Mills and contribute to its mission of “Making food the world loves.” He highlighted the company’s iconic brands, strong food science capabilities, and people-centric culture as key strengths for addressing the India opportunity.

He also expressed gratitude to Hindustan Unilever, calling it his “professional alma mater” and acknowledging several leaders for shaping his leadership journey, including Sanjiv Mehta, Sudhir Sitapati, Hanneke Faber, and the late Anil Gopalan.

Krishnamurthy said he is excited to begin the next chapter of growth at General Mills India and looks forward to building on the work done by his predecessors.