SLMG Beverages appoints Lagan Shastri as CEO amid global expansion plans

SLMG Beverages has appointed Lagan Shastri as its Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He took charge on August 10, 2026.

Shastri will lead the company's next phase of growth. He will also drive its global expansion plans.

Three decades of consumer sector experience

Shastri brings nearly three decades of experience across beverages, FMCG and consumer products.

He began his career at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB) as a Management Trainee. He spent more than 20 years with the company.

During his tenure, he held senior roles across sales, marketing, commercial profit centre management and strategy.

He later became Executive Director, Market Operations. He led HCCB's end-to-end market operations. He also co-led the company's strategy with the CEO.

In 2020, Shastri joined DFM Foods as Managing Director and CEO. He led the transformation of the private equity-backed listed company into a professionally managed and performance-driven organisation.

He later joined Reliance Consumer Products Limited (RCPL) as Strategic Advisor. He advised the leadership team on commercial strategy and enterprise execution.

More recently, Shastri worked as a strategic adviser to promoters, institutions and emerging businesses. His work focused on governance and organisational scaling.

SLMG targets US$10 billion valuation

SLMG said Shastri's Coca-Cola experience and consumer sector expertise will support its next growth phase.

As CEO, he will focus on market leadership, digital capabilities and high-performance culture.

Official Statement from the Board of Directors, SLMG Beverages, "The appointment of Lagan Shastri marks a monumental milestone as we prepare SLMG Beverages for its next phase of exponential growth,”

“Lagan brings an unmatched executive pedigree across the consumer sector and deep institutional knowledge of the bottling ecosystem. The Board is fully committed to supporting him as we scale our people, manufacturing, digital, and supply chain capabilities to build one of the world's most admired Coca-Cola bottling businesses,” they added.

The company aims to build a US$10 billion enterprise value. It also wants to rank among the Top 10 Global Coca-Cola Bottlers.

Statement from Lagan Shastri, CEO, SLMG Beverages, “I am honoured and excited to lead SLMG Beverages at such an important stage in its growth journey. SLMG has built an exceptional foundation, anchored in deep market understanding, enduring customer and system partnerships, and a strong innovation led culture of execution. 

He further commented, “We have a tremendous opportunity ahead of us to build on these strengths, accelerate growth and create an even more agile, innovative and future-ready organisation.”

“I look forward to working closely with the Operational Board, our leadership team and colleagues across SLMG as we pursue our bold ambition of building a US$10 billion enterprise value and being recognised among the Top 10 Global Coca-Cola Bottlers, while creating sustainable long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he mentioned.

Focus on people and operations

Shastri will oversee investments in people, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities.

The company also plans to strengthen customer partnerships and digital capabilities.

SLMG aims to build a resilient and future-ready organisation. It will focus on innovation, operational excellence and sustainable growth.

Shastri holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM Bangalore).

He also holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi.

He will be based at SLMG Beverages' corporate office in Lucknow. He will report directly to the Operational Board.