Sanjay Bahadur calls time on 40-year career at Nestlé as strategic executive

Nestlé has praised the work of Sanjay Bahadur, Executive Vice President and Head of Group Strategy and Business Development, as he retires after more than 40 years at the company, writes Neill Barston.

The senior management figure  has held various roles across India, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Türkiye and China during his tenure.

As the company explained, In his current position, Sanjay was responsible for portfolio management, the identification and execution of M&A transactions, as well as venture funds, external partnerships and licensing agreements. 

During his time in the business, the company has collectively engaged in notable acquisition moves around the world.

This includes the long-running deal to secure Brazil’s Garoto chocolate, which after two decades of legal proceedings to clear domestic regulatory competition hurdles, the agreement was finalised in 2023. Subsequently, Nestlé has also gained fellow Brazilian business, Grupo CRM, which was also completed two years ago.

Notably, in March of this year, Nestlé also finalised a strategic deal for an additional 40% stake in Chinese confectionery brand, Hsu Fu Chi, which had followed a 15-year interest from the Swiss company in acquiring the company.

While the company has enjoyed some notable extensions to its confectionery interests around the world, one of its largest divestments also occurred in the segment, as it sold its US confectionery business to Ferrero in 2018, which has gone on to increase its market share notably in the region.

Following Sanjay Bahadur’s retirement, the M&A function will report to CFO Anna Manz.

Philipp Navratil, CEO of Nestlé, commented: “On behalf of everyone at the company, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Sanjay for his many contributions to Nestlé. He consistently demonstrated uncompromising integrity and a humble approach to leadership, fostering trust and collaboration across the organization. We wish him all the best for this next chapter.”