Know Your Honchos

BM Vyas, MD, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation
BM Vyas joined Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), India`s food products marketing organisation – as managing director in 1994. He championed the movement of total quality management across the supply chain cycle, and within a span of 14 years increased sales five-fold, from Rs 980 crore to Rs 5,200 crore. Vyas developed and successfully launched 30 new products.

GCMMF specialises in the marketing and distribution of a wide range of dairy products in India and abroad. Most of the GCMMF brands – be it Amul, Sagar, Dhara, or Nutramul – are today market leaders in their categories.

B V K Raju, Partner, Q-mart enterprises
A marketing professional and entrepreneur with over 20 years experience in handling diverse products including office automation equipment, satellite reception and distribution systems, stationery and paper products and fast moving consumer goods. He took over the management of a retail super market called Q-mart in 2001which was on the verge of closure and turned it around. Q-mart is now considered one of the most successful life style supermarkets in Andhra Pradesh. From an annual turnover of about Rs 1.2 crores, Q-mart has a current turnover of over Rs 280 million.

Apart from retailing his other business interests is in construction, real estate and IT services. He is a keen golfer and a management committee member of the Hyderabad Golf Association.

Bijay Sahoo, President & Chief People Officer, Reliance Retail
Bijay Sahoo has a rich experience of over 20 years in strategic talent management in multinational and leading national companies in India and abroad. In his earlier assignment, Sahoo was the senior vice president and global head - HR at Wipro Technologies, and a director on the board of Wipro Spectramind. He has good experience of setting up HR practices for startup organizations – IDBI Bank, Coopers and Lybrand HR Consulting Practice, several business divisions of Wipro Technologies.

B. P. Agarwala, Chairman & Managing Director, Surya Food & Agro Ltd.
Sh.B.P.Agarwala, aged 59 years, is the founder Managing Director and Promoter of Surya Food & Agro Limited. He has about 20 years of experience in the business of biscuit manufacturing. He belongs to District Barren, Rajasthan and later his family settled in Kolkata.

Initially he was into Coconut Oil Manufacturing & Marketing Business but later he entered into Biscuit Industry & set-up his own Venture “Surya Food & Agro Ltd.” in November 1992 at Noida, U.P, which started commercial operations in October 1993.

He is a well known personality in the biscuit manufacturing industry and has received “U.P. Ratan” award for his entrepreneurship. He is responsible for overall working of the company and is instrumental in making strategic decisions of the company. Under his leadership, the company has grown manifold and achieved an “International Quality Crown Award, London 2004” for best quality biscuit manufacturer. He continues to work towards proliferating Priyagold’s’ success and brand awareness. He is also the President of IBMA (Indian Biscuit Manufacturers Association) & Vice President of AIFPA (All India Food Processors Association).

Under Sh. Agarwala’s leadership & direction, Priyagold established strong manufacturing capabilities and invested substantially in developing consumer preference for its products. The brands / trademarks “Priyagold” and “Haq Se Maango” have emerged as one of the most powerful brands in FMCG sector.

Bidisha Nagaraj, President – Marketing, Café Coffee Day
Bidisha Nagaraj joined Café Coffee Day as President, Marketing. She is responsible for enhancing the leadership position of the Café Coffee Day brand and increase consumer loyalty through various innovative channels. Her last stint was with Google as Head of Consumer Marketing. Nagraj has rich experience in consumer and retail marketing, advertising, product and segment development. She began her career in advertising with Lowe Lintas Advertising, rising to Group Account Manager within five years, before applying her entrepreneurial skills to start her own handicraft exports company. Her experience in these two arenas gave her international exposure in creative marketing and communication, which she took into Compaq (HP) Computers and then on to a seven-year career with Intel Corporation (India).