RS Sodhi, the managing director of Amul who has been in that position since 2010, was ousted on January 9. The large cooperative in the dairy industry has named Jayan Mehta as its interim MD.
The decision to remove Sodhi was taken at the board meeting of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), the farmers' cooperative that operates the Amul brand.
While Mehta has temporarily replaced him, a new MD will be announced in the next few months,confirmed Shankar Singh Rana, the chairman of Gandhinagar Madhur Dairy.
Mehta has worked for Amul for 32 years and currently serves as its chief operations officer (COO). He has previously held positions as the company's general manager of marketing, group product manager, and brand manager.
The outgoing MD, Sodhi, began his career with Amul in 1982 as a senior sales officer. He worked there as its general manager (marketing) from 2000 to 2004, then in June 2010 he was promoted to become the MD. His appointment as MD was extended by an additional five years in 2017.
Sodhi was chosen to lead the Indian Dairy Association, the top organisation representing the nation's dairy sector, in July 2022. Speaking at the World Dairy Summit hosted by the International Dairy Federation in September, Sodhi asserted that India's contribution to world output is expected to nearly quadruple, from 23% to 45% over the following 25 years.