Nisaba Godrej to handle groups HR, innovation

Monday, 15 February 2010, 22:28 IST
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Mumbai: Nisaba Godrej, the 31-year-old daughter of Adi Godrej, will soon take the responsibility of managing 20,000 staff at the locks-to-diapers group. Nisaba, known as Nisa among family and friends, has been designated President, Human Capital and Innovation, reports Kala Vijayraghavan of the Economic Times. Nisaba would handle corporate human resources, aim to enhance organizational effectiveness and guide innovation from May this year. Her elevation comes as Visty Banaji, Executive Director and President, Group Corporate Affairs, retires to pursue a consulting business in which he would advice the Godrej group too. Along with Nisaba's elevation, there is an increase in the scope of work for Vivek Gambhir, a former executive at Bain Capital. "As we get older, our consumers at 25 years average age, are getting younger," said Nisa. "Therefore, we have been on a transformational journey to better serve a young, more optimistic India. By bringing about positive changes and better co-ordination across group companies in human capital management, innovation and growing an already large focus on corporate social responsibility, we aim to build on the pioneering spirit of our founders with the youthful energy." Nisa is now an Executive Vice-President, Business Development of Godrej Industries. She has been instrumental in setting up a strategy cell. She is also involved in the selection and development of top management and employee engagement with a focus on Godre's Agri and consumer goods portfolios. Nisa turned around Godrej Agrovet, a company that sells animal feeds and manages palm oil plantations. It sold its rural retail business Aadhaar to the Future Group. The Group recently listed its real estate arm Godrej Properties and is looking to improve many businesses which have been on the fringes, including technology firm Geometric Solutions. Nisa, educated at Wharton and Harvard, is keen to get young blood as competition in many segments where it has interests is witnessing strong and young rivals such as Procter & Gamble and CavinKare, said people familiar with the thinking. Nisa may be accelerating efforts for swifter responses to competition with mergers and acquisitions in a group where easy pace of working with commitment and loyalty is the norm.