Coca-Cola India appoints Aditya Kankaria as Senior Director, Integrated Operations

Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia has appointed Aditya Kankaria as Senior Director, Integrated Operations at Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), bringing in a seasoned business leader with experience spanning the telecom and FMCG sectors.

In his new role, Kankaria will oversee integrated operations across the business, focusing on operational excellence, transformation initiatives and profitable growth. He will also work closely with bottling partners and cross-functional teams to strengthen commercial execution and build organisational capabilities.

The appointment comes as consumer goods companies continue to sharpen operational efficiency and strengthen execution capabilities amid evolving market dynamics and growing demand across India.

A leadership mandate focused on execution and growth

According to the company, Kankaria will play a central role in driving integrated operations across HCCB, Coca-Cola's bottling business in India.

His responsibilities will include:

• Driving operational excellence across the business

• Accelerating transformation initiatives

• Supporting sustainable and profitable growth

• Collaborating with bottling partners

• Strengthening commercial execution

• Building capabilities across functions

The role places Kankaria at the intersection of operations, commercial strategy and business transformation, areas that have become increasingly important as companies seek to improve efficiency while sustaining growth.

Bringing experience from telecom and FMCG

Kankaria joins Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia with more than 16 years of leadership experience across multiple industries.

Before joining HCCB, he served as CEO of Airtel's Mumbai Circle, where he was responsible for driving market leadership, consumer growth and profitability in one of the telecom operator's most significant markets.

Prior to Airtel, he spent several years with Unilever across South Asia and Bangladesh. Most recently, he led the company's Nutrition, Foods and Refreshments business, gaining experience in consumer markets, commercial operations and business leadership.

His career reflects a blend of experience across telecommunications and fast-moving consumer goods, sectors that share a growing focus on customer experience, operational agility and large-scale execution.

Strengthening operational capabilities

The appointment underscores the importance organisations are placing on leadership talent capable of managing complex operations while delivering transformation and growth.

For Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, the addition of an executive with experience across both telecom and FMCG sectors brings a broader perspective on operational efficiency, commercial performance and organisational capability building.

As companies increasingly balance growth ambitions with productivity and execution excellence, leadership appointments in operations functions are becoming central to long-term business strategy.