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Dheeraj Arora

Dheeraj Arora

Area Sales Manager

Followers of Dheeraj Arora6000 followers
location of Dheeraj AroraMumbai, Maharashtra, India

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  • Timeline

  • Skills

    Business Strategy
    Change Management
    Channel Partners
    Consumer Products
    CRM
    Cross-functional Team Leadership
    Customer Insight
    Customer Marketing
    Distributed Team Management
    E-commerce
    ECommerce
    FMCG
    General Management
    Key Account Development
    Key Account Management
    Leadership
    Management
    Marketing Strategy
    Retail
    Sales
    Sales Force Development
    Sales Management
    Sales Operations
    Shopper Marketing
    Strategy
    Team Leadership
    Team Management
    Trade Marketing
    Distributed Team

  • About me

    Dheeraj Arora is an accomplished business leader and the Managing Director & CEO of Hygienic Research Institute, a distinguished personal beauty care brand renowned for its excellence. With a stellar career spanning over two decades in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) sector, he has held pivotal leadership roles at industry giants like Unilever and Britannia, driving transformation across India and Developing & Emerging (D&E) Markets. Dheeraj’s expertise spans General Management, Sales & Customer Development, as well as Modern Trade & eCommerce strategies. As Vice President at Hindustan Unilever, he played a key role in expanding the Organized Trade business and was instrumental in implementing the groundbreaking ‘Winning in Many Indias’ framework. Additionally, he led the rollout of a cutting-edge data-tech enabled front-end execution system, which now operates across 15 countries, revolutionizing execution and efficiency. An engineer by training, Dheeraj further honed his strategic acumen with an MBA in Sales & Marketing from MDI, Gurgaon, and a Digital Strategy Program at INSEAD. This blend of technical knowledge and business expertise enables him to embrace a High Tech-High Touch approach, reinforcing his belief in the ‘butterfly effect’—that every small action has the potential to create a lasting impact. For Dheeraj, leadership is about fostering positive change—not just within an organization but also in the lives of customers, consumers, and society at large. His vision and relentless commitment drive sustainable growth and meaningful impact, positioning HRIPL for continued success in the evolving beauty and personal care landscape. Beyond his professional pursuits, An avid marathoner, he embodies the virtues of perseverance and resilience—values that reflect in his approach to leadership and business. Dheeraj’s outstanding contributions to eCommerce and business innovation have earned him numerous accolades, including the 'Most Influential eCommerce Professional & Business Icon of the Year 2023' and 'The Extraordinaire – Most Powerful CEO Award 2024.' A member of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) – FMCG, he continues to shape the future of the industry, steering HRIPL towards consistent, competitive, and profitable growth with his visionary leadership.

  • Education

    • Management Development Institute, Gurgaon

      1999 - 2001
      MBA Marketing

  • Experience

    • Britannia Industries Limited

      Apr 2001 - Mar 2004
      Area Sales Manager

    • Unilever

      Apr 2004 - Feb 2022

      Leading organization’s journey to win with new age customers & consumers across Modern Trade, eCommerce, Omnicommerce, Cash & Carry & eb2b. Heading a strong cross-functional team and leading a stellar execution engine. Member of Sales Leadership and the Diversity & Inclusion council. - Large business that contributes to ~25% of company's turnover and is over-indexed in terms of growth, delta contribution, market shares & profitability - Investing ahead of curve and building capabilities to accelerate eCom, Omni & eb2b business (fastest Globally) that’s over-indexed on market shares and sequentially gaining- Based on shopper insights, anchoring Channel/Customer specific portfolio agenda that offers better value to consumer, retailers and HUL - Charting HUL’s journey of Hyperlocal (b2b2c) and eb2b - Blending Sustainability into business alongwith Key Retailers Show less Set up & stabilized Branch operations covering the states of UP, Bihar, MP, Chhattisgarh & Rajasthan to Win in Middle India. As a single threaded leader responsible for end-to-end Branch business operations, leading a 500+ member cross functional team to realize the Vision into a reality. Member of Sales Leadership team and Anchor for Performance Management. - A billion dollar business, delivering consistent growth ahead of rest of India. - Bolstered Physical Reach: ~1000 distributors strong network, Doubled direct coverage to A million stores and expanded women micro-entrepreneurs (Shakti) to 33K. - Tailored Mental Reach plans to improve brand penetration across the portfolio. - Deployed Geography-Category Cluster structure do drive higher agility & accountability Show less Collaborated with Key Unilever Markets of Asia, Africa & Russia to land the Route to Market/Go-to-market agenda. Co-created multi-country Distributor ERP & Sales Force Automation system. Led the change management for Six Phase I countries. Subsequently extended across key D&E markets in line with the blueprint. Built & deployed the coverage expansion models across key markets in key Unilever markets across Asia & Africa. Guided South Africa team to set up the Distributor Model. Supported the Russia team in integration of a newly acquired business Show less Digital Transformation lead for Sales & Distribution at HUL. Set up Business Process Automation & Analytics Cell for HUL and led development of multiple business tech solutions. - Led large-scale programme to expand HUL coverage by ‘1 Million More Store’ - ‘Better Serve A Million Stores’: Tech solution overlayed with sophisticated analytics to recommend outlet-SKU actions. Successfully, adopted as Global best practice - Tech enabled 40K micro-entrepreneurs (Shakti) - Built a revenue stream by monetizing our distribution network to distribute Tala-Tele products in deep Rural via women micro-entrepreneur (Shakti) Show less

      • Vice President - e-Commerce and Modern Trade

        Apr 2017 - Feb 2022

      • General Manager, Central Branch

        Jul 2014 - Mar 2017

      • Director - Route to Market, Asia-Africa-Russia

        Jan 2013 - Jul 2014

      • GM/Head Center of Excellence

        Mar 2010 - Dec 2012

      • Regional Customer Marketing Mgr - North Region

        Jun 2009 - Mar 2010

      • Go-To-Market Manager

        Dec 2008 - Jun 2009

      • National Manager, Modern Trade

        May 2007 - Nov 2008

      • Customer Development Manager (Asia-Africa)

        May 2006 - Apr 2007

      • Area Sales & Customer Manager

        Apr 2004 - Apr 2006

    • ElasticRun

      Feb 2022 - Sept 2022
      Chief Business Officer

    • Hygienic Research Institute (HRIPL)

      Sept 2022 - now

      • Managing Director & CEO

        Sept 2023 - now

      • Chief Executive Officer

        Sept 2022 - Sept 2023

  • Licenses & Certifications

    • Leading Digital Marketing Strategy Programme

      INSEAD Executive Education
      May 2019