A year into the top job, HUL's Priya Nair says progress is visible, but 'not satisfied' yet
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Nearly a year after taking charge as managing director and CEO of Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL), Priya Nair believes the company's transformation is beginning to show results, even as she insists there is much more to do.
Reflecting on her first year during HUL's June quarter earnings call, “I remain happy with the progress but not satisfied,” Nair said while reflecting on her first year at the helm during HUL’s June quarter earnings call. “You can never be satisfied in a company like this with what the opportunity is. But happy with the progress we see quarter on quarter.”
Her comments came after HUL reported its highest quarterly growth in 13 quarters, with USG of 10% and turnover of ₹ 17,184 crores.
Revenue from the sale of products increased 10.26% to ₹17,149 crore in the June quarter of FY27 from ₹15,552 crore a year earlier. Total income, including other income, rose 9.84% year-on-year to ₹17,529 crore.
HUL's earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) rose 8% year-on-year to ₹3,947 crore, while the EBITDA margin remained at 23%, staying within the company's guided range despite a volatile operating environment. Total expenses during the quarter increased 10% to ₹13,822 crore.
However, the company reported a 3.17% year-on-year decline in consolidated net profit to ₹2,680 crore for the quarter.
For Nair, however, the quarter was less about one set of numbers and more about validating the strategic changes introduced over the past year.
"I believe behind this there are some strong fundamentals," she said, pointing to four areas where HUL has sharpened its focus over the past year. The first is reshaping the portfolio towards faster growing categories and future demand spaces. The second is concentrating investments behind a smaller set of strategic priorities. The third is strengthening execution through better assortment, wider distribution and a more segmented channel strategy. The fourth is building brands and accelerating innovation, an effort she described as a multi year plan rather than a short term exercise.
"The direction is right and the fundamentals start to fall in place."
Earlier in the call, Nair highlighted how those efforts helped the company navigate a volatile operating environment. Growth accelerated from 3% in the first half of FY26 to 10% in the June quarter, while HUL continued to gain turnover weighted market share. She also said the company stepped up advertising and promotion spending to ₹1,657 crore during the quarter, the highest level in the last 11 quarters, while continuing to invest in innovation, manufacturing and digital capabilities.
Among the investments she cited were the launch of Unilever's Fragrance House in India, an AI enabled Liquids Lab of the Future in Mumbai that can reduce formulation development timelines by up to six times, and AI-led supply chain initiatives. HUL now has eight World Economic Forum Lighthouse designations across six manufacturing sites, the highest for any company in India.
Even as geopolitical tensions, commodity inflation and an uncertain monsoon remain on the radar, Nair said HUL is sticking to its strategy. The company has retained its guidance that FY27 will be better than FY26, backed by stable FMCG demand, calibrated pricing and continued investment behind brands.
"We remain extremely confident in how we will be able to navigate," she said, adding that the company is only being cautious about how the broader economic environment evolves.