General Mills India appoints Shiva Krishnamurthy as CEO

Shiva Krishnamurthy has been appointed chief executive officer of General Mills India, effective January 2026. He succeeds the previous leadership and will be based in Mumbai.

Krishnamurthy joins General Mills after spending over 25 years at Hindustan Unilever, where he most recently served as executive director for Foods & Refreshment. In that role, he led brands across tea, coffee and foods, overseeing a business with revenues of around €1.5 billion.

During his tenure at Hindustan Unilever, Krishnamurthy held multiple senior leadership positions, including vice president roles across tea, coffee and foods, and earlier brand leadership roles across beverages, fabric care and skin cleansing in India and South East Asia. His career has spanned P&L leadership, category expansion, portfolio transformation and regional brand management across India and international markets.

At General Mills India, he will be responsible for leading the company’s growth strategy in the market and building on the existing business foundation.

Commenting on his appointment, Shiva Krishnamurthy updated on his LinkedIn: “I am delighted to join the General Mills mission of ‘Making food the world loves’ with iconic brands, leading edge food science and capable people. Powered by a culture that fosters learning, growing and belonging, we are well placed to address the India opportunity. I look forward to building on the foundation that has been laid by my predecessors.
As I start my next innings, I want to thank my professional alma mater Hindustan Unilever, a.k.a. The CEO Factory where ‘leaders build leaders’ is a way of life. Among many others, I am grateful to Sanjiv Mehta Sudhir Sitapati Hanneke Faber and the late Anil Gopalan for shaping my leadership journey. Very excited to script the next chapter of growth at General Mills India!”