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SURESH Narayanan, chairman and MD of Nestlé India, is set to retire on July 31, bringing to a close nearly a decade at the helm of the company.

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Narayanan spoke in an interview with Dipak Mondal of TNIE about his journey, the key challenges and milestones during his tenure, and his vision for the future of Nestlé India over the next decade. Edited excerpts:

Over this 10-year journey at the helm, what were the top three challenges you faced? I came in during a storm—the MAGGI controversy, which was a major challenge. Then came COVID, which disrupted supply chains and raised serious concerns around employee safety. The third was the recent sugar controversy.

Tell us how you managed to regain consumer confidence after the MAGGI controversy. MAGGI is a deeply loved brand. The allegations of high lead content were shocking and struck at the heart of food quality and safety. I reached out to regulators, authorities, and media to explain our stance and reassure the public about our commitment to safety. We went to the Bombay high court, which allowed us to retest and relaunch. The brand went from being a market leader to completely off shelves and then back to leadership in record time.