Former Britannia MD Varun Berry Appointed as Independent Director at Havells

Havells India Names Varun Berry as Independent Director

Havells India has announced the appointment of Varun Berry, the former Managing Director of Britannia, as an independent director for a five-year term starting April 22, 2026. This move marks Berry's first major corporate role since resigning from Britannia six months ago.

Berry, who joined Britannia from PepsiCo in 2013 as chief operating officer, was elevated to managing director in 2014 after the exit of Vinita Bali and later became executive vice-chairman in September 2022. His tenure was extended in May 2023 for five years from April 1, 2024 until March 2029. During his tenure at Britannia, Berry implemented a disciplined strategy focused on widening market reach, sharpening cost controls, boosting internal production capacity, streamlining supply-chain operations, and ramping up innovation.

Berry resigned in November 2025, shortly after Rakshit Hargave was named the new CEO. While Berry had intended to remain as Managing Director during a handover period, the Board opted for his immediate exit.

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Berry's Background

Berry has an extensive experience of 40 years with Companies like HUL, PepsiCo in India and overseas, as well as a successful track record in leading start-ups, turnarounds, joint ventures, and growth businesses. Havells highlighted Berry's credentials in a regulatory filing on April 22, while announcing its March-quarter results.

Havells Q4 Performance

In the March quarter, Havells reported a 2.4 per cent increase in quarterly revenue at Rs 6,688 crore, while net profit jumped 40.6 per cent at Rs 734 crore. The company attributed the modest Q4 performance to cooling products stocking impacted by a milder start to the summer season.

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The company noted strong industrial infra demand, however consumer categories experienced cautious trade sentiments amidst higher costs stemming from global disruptions. Additionally, the delayed summer onset with unseasonal showers impacted electronics consumer durables (ECD) revenues, particularly fans & air coolers.