An alumnus of DPS and Hans Raj College (D.U.), Mr. Arora holds a management degree from FMS-Delhi. He started his career with Kwality Ice Cream in Mumbai and was closely associated with launch of its sister brands – Gaylord and Yankee Doodle. He worked with the parent company of PepsiCo in India for six years. He had long stints in Tanzania and Kenya in various management capacities and was involved with brands like PepsiCo and Coca Cola, besides heading a premier Tanzanian dairy – Royal Dairy Products Ltd. He returned to India after spending 12 years in Africa to join Creambell.
Q. Creambell was introduced in 2003. Over the years, it has seen remarkable growth. How do you look at the journey so far?
A. Like any other launch, the first few years went into addressing issues related to front-end and back-end business. We also faced our share of teething problems. However, it gave us conviction to evolve a stronger platform for take-off. In the 10 years since inception, Creambell has rapidly moved up the ladder to be amongst the top five brands in its segment, which speaks a lot about the core values of innovation and product excellence.
Q. Ice cream is critical to FMCG sector in India with total market value of more than INR 20,000 crore. How do you see the future shaping up?
A. The ice cream market has not lived up to its potential in a market like India. It might have been doing well till the 80s, but the last two decades have seen the absence of a market leader in this segment. We seek to fill that void. This category has the potential to perform at least 50 per cent ahead of the FMCG growth curve in the coming years.
Q. The competition in this trade has increased in last few years with entry of new players. What is your strategy to prevail over the competitors?
A. Competitive landscape is changing. Creambell’s proposition is based on strong fundamentals and we are sanguine that we will continue to delight our consumers with innovation and product excellence. That will give us the cutting edge to be the preferred brand and enjoy continued patronage in times to come.
Q. The demand for quality ice cream is increasing in India but the market is not as huge as in the US and some other countries. How can the ice cream trade get a much-needed fillip?
A. I agree. The market is steadily moving up in its capacity to dabble with this category. US and Europe are typically evolved markets. The Indian market will surely clock impressive growth and I expect per capita consumption gap to bridge in the next decade. For that, it is essential to strengthen cold chain. That will not only benefit by addressing the issues of product availability but also help in maintaining the product condition till its consumption.
Q. India is the largest milk producer in the world, yet only around 15 per cent of the milk is processed. What reasons do you attribute to it?
A. There are two ends of the stick when it comes to tapping the potential of processed milk in india. As the market evolves, with the change in consumption behaviour visible, the processing chain is getting the ecouragement to upscale their efforts.
Q. In the retail sector, the most important thing is a well gorged supply-chain network. That is where Creambell falters. How are you dealing with it?
A. Being a relatively new entrant, the retail network for Creambell is not on par with brands that have been around for long. However, with its fast gaining popularity among the consumers, the retail network too is increasing at a fast rate. The aspect of availability is on the radar and we intend to fix it by 2015. As far as mobile outlets are concerned, Creambell is in number three position across the country.
Q. Quality is the dominating aspect that influences consumer to purchase Creambell products. What do you do different from competitors?
A. Product quality is the one factor that can provide wings to your aspirations. At Creambell, we make it a point to go the extra mile to sustain quality. This is substantiated by our commitment to invest in three company-owned manufacturing units at Baddi, Goa and Kosi.
Q. The sale of ice cream is generally more in urban areas than smaller cities and semi urban areas. Is there any strategy to expand the reach of Creambell?
A. The urban markets are the flagships of consumption. Creambell has a dedicated initiative to up the ante as far as these markets are concerned and is aggressively backed up with retail trade asset injection campaign that will reach out to tier II-III towns.
Q. What does it take to build successful organisations, and what are the best leadership traits in your view?
A. Combination of passion and foresight can be a potent cocktail. Power to sustain and be on the lookout for continuous improvement can sum up our strategy. Complexity in today’s environment is on the rise. In this technology-driven age, leaders need to have a sharp feel of the grassroots situation and high level of adaptability.
