Tata Consumer Products has appointed P B Balaji, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Tata Motors, as its director. This expands his role within the conglomerate’s consumer-facing businesses. 

Balaji, who was chosen by Tata Group chairman N Chandrasekaran in 2017 to drive the financial performance of the automobile company, was inducted into the board of Tata Consumer following the exit of Tata Sons executive Harish Bhat.

Balaji is perhaps the first Tata Motors executive to be inducted into the board of Tata Consumer, which was established in 1964 to create value-added tea in alliance with James Finlay of UK. 

Meanwhile, in a regulatory filing this month, Tata Consumer stated Harish Bhat had resigned as a non-executive director but it didn’t spell out the reason for his exit. The following day, Tata Consumer said that it has appointed Balaji as a non-executive director.

Balaji comes from FMCG giant Unilever and his global experience and knowledge in finance and investments is what Tata Consumer, which is in the middle of becoming a broad-based FMCG company, hoping to leverage. The firm plans to go beyond non-alcoholic beverages and packaged foods and foray into personal and home care categories, domains where Unilever is a strong player. This is where Balaji’s vast experience will come into play.