McVitie’s owner Pladis has hired a former Unilever stalwart as its chief financial officer (CFO).

Sridhar Ramamurthy, who stepped into the role today [23 July], will report into CEO Salman Amin and focus on driving innovation to increase revenues, improve operating capabilities, capture productivity and enhance profitability.

During his 30-year international finance career with Unilever, Ramamurthy held key positions, including finance controller for Asia and Africa – Unilever’s largest region – and chief financial officer for Hindustan Unilever, the largest FMCG company in India.

In the UK, he held senior finance responsibilities for Unilever PLC, including group treasurer and executive vice president, Enterprise Solutions, where he was responsible for shared services, covering finance, HR, supply chain and workplace.

Ramamurthy will now assume responsibility for leading Pladis’ financial management and other related functions spanning financial planning and forecasting, audit, tax, treasury and shared services, covering all categories and geographies of the company.

“I am excited to join Pladis at a pivotal time,” he said. “The company’s strong portfolio of heritage brands has unlimited potential. I look forward to bringing my financial and market knowledge to the company and being a part of a team that will introduce our beloved brands to even more consumers across the world.”

Amin, who took up the role of CEO in February, described Ramamurthy as a “seasoned and respected financial executive who brings a deep and wide-ranging array of consumer product expertise and experiences to Pladis’ as it continues with its ‘strategic transformation to grow our company”.

“He has earned a reputation as a strong and versatile leader, who has consistently demonstrated the financial and business acumen that makes him uniquely qualified to be our CFO,” Amin added.

Ramamurthy replaces Mustafa Tercan, who remains CFO of Yildiz Holding, Pladis’ parent company.