DuPont’s Pankaj Shah Heads For US Assignment

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New Delhi, Jan 13: : Pankaj H Shah, president, South Asia, DuPont, who was overall in-charge of its businesses in India and Pakistan for the last six years, is now headed for the US on a new assignment. Henrique Ubrig, president, DuPont, South America, will take over from Mr Shah and will be located in New Delhi.

In another move that signals the increasing importance of India and China as the primary growth drivers for the parent company, Craig Naylor has been designated as the new group vice-president for Asia-Pacific. At present, Mr Naylor is group vice-president, DuPont Performance Materials. Mr Naylor will now have responsibilities with special emphasis on China and India.

“With the announcement to sell textile business globally, Dupont is emphasising more on India and China as focus areas,” a DuPont India official said, not wanting to be quoted.

Even though Mr Naylor will be based in Wilmington, US, he will spend considerable time in the Asia-Pacific region, a release form the company headquarters added.

As part of a global organisational alignment, which involves all businesses, regions and functions, company officials say the emphasis on India and China are of special significance.

In it’s new avatar, DuPont would have exited the textile business by the end of this year and would focus for growth on five platforms, which include agriculture and nutrition, safety and protection, performance materials, coatings and colour technologies and electronics.

“The company is on the threshold of achieving higher growth and the new focus under a group vice-president will help us achieve the growth potential in India,” Mr Shah told FE.

With around Rs 1,000 crore sales volume in the country, DuPont achieved a 30 per cent growth rate and is increasingly being seen as a hub for DuPont’s global sourcing.

The announcement to restructure also comes at a time when DuPont India wants to double its turnover by 2005-06.

DuPont wants to make India its sourcing hub particularly in the areas of biotechnology, nanotechnology and chemicals.