Sunil Dhar has taken over Red Bull as chief executive officer. He steps into the shoes of Bhaskar Sharma who has transitioned into a non-executive advisory role. Previously, Dhar was the vice president – commercial at Red Bull India and office special projects – MEWAP.
Dhar started his career at Cadbury Schweppes and went on to work at Mondelez International and Hershey India. During his career, he drove sales and boosted business margins through innovation, strategic planning, and delivered results in FMCG across categories such as energy drinks, chocolates, confectionery, tea, edible oil, biscuits, juices, snacks and beverages and soya milk.
At Hershey India, Dhar headed sales & distribution of all product categories in organized retail channels including modern trade, HORECA and defence.
His 14 year innings at Red Bull India began as national off premise head. In his previous role as the CEO, he managed the overall operations and business activities with focus on expanding the company, and driving profitability. Further, he crafted long-term vision and implemented strategic plans. In 2012, he led “On My Own” Route-to-Market strategy till execution for Red Bull in India. He oversaw distribution transformation across urban & semi-rural areas and channels with 150 commercial professionals. Further, he set up 400 distributors nationwide in six months.
His skills range from executive leadership, strategic planning, P&L responsibilities, sales & marketing, business development, marketing analytics, product category management, brand management, channel and distribution management, strategic partnerships, stakeholder engagement, team building and management.