BUILDING AN AGILE SUPPLY CHAIN

With over 20 years of rich experience spanning FMCG, consulting, and international business leadership Saurabh Jhawar, Head-Product Supply Organisation, India & SAARC, Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL), brings a strong blend of technical expertise and global leadership to the table.

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An IIT Bombay Mechanical Engineering graduate, he began his career with Hindustan Unilever before pursuing an MBA at ISB Hyderabad. After a successful consulting stint, he joined Godrej 12 years ago and has since held leadership roles across India and global markets, including Southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Africa, where he was based in Nairobi.

In an interview, Jhawar shared his vision of building a resilient and agile supply chain. Edited Excerpts.

How has the supply chain evolved especailly after the Covid pandemic?

The supply chain is the backbone of any organisation, ensuring seamless operations and enabling the sales team to succeed. I often compare it to a battlefieldwhile sales teams fight on the frontlines, the supply chain provides the "bullets" at the right time, cost, and place. Guided by our motto, "delivering today, preparing for tomorrow," we focus on daily execution while building resilience for the future.

The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the critical role of supply chains. Demand for hygiene products skyrocketed, and we had to keep essential goods like sanitizers, floor cleaners, hand washes, and mosquito repellents continuously available. Remarkably, government authorities in both India and Indonesia expedited statutory approvals-often reducing a 30-60 day process to just seven days, even working weekends. This extraordinary collaboration allowed us to respond with unprecedented speed.

We not only kept factories running while safeguarding employee health but also scaled up production significantly-sometimes tenfold. In Indonesia, we launched Saniter, a completely new brand, with 23 products in just 90 days, showcasing agility and innovation. The pandemic reinforced that supply chains are not just support functions—they are central to business continuity, customer trust, and delivering critical products when society needs them most.