GARY COFER: from one dream job to another

They call it the domino Effect in FMCG circles-whereby country heads get reshuffled to assignments in a different company in a different land. Come April and two Dominos from the Indian subsidiaries of two blue-blooded FMCG majors will be headed out of India for new challenges. P&G India Managing Director Gary Cofer will move to P&G Worldwide's headquarters in Cincinnati, whilst Colgate-Palmolive India's Managing Director and VP (South Asia), Derrick Samuel, hasn't yet announced his next port of call since the Domino in that country is still not in place. Cofer's slot will be filled by Shantanu Khosla, currently heading P&G's healthcare business in the AAI (asean-Australia-India) region out of Singapore. Samuel's replacement will be Graeme Dalziel, currently Managing Director of Colgate's Portuguese operations.

DERRICK SAMUEL: The Colgate smile says it all

Cofer and Samuel settled into India a little under three years ago, when both P&G and Colgate were having their own problems. A couple of years ago, talks about P&G de-emphasising its Indian operations were gaining ground, and its performance in the market only reinforced that perception. Colgate, on the other hand, was in danger of losing its pole position in the oral care category to Hindustan Lever.

Both head honchos can leave India with some satisfaction. ''It's been a dream job,'' says Cofer, who has been successful to a large extent in altering the perception that P&G is reducing focus on India. ''Like last year, this year too we've achieved double-digit growth in this market,'' he adds. For Samuel, turning around the marketshare in the toothpaste business was the biggest challenge, and he's managed to do that with the aggressive ''Talk To Me'' campaign. In 2001, Colgate has managed to hold its own, and has in fact upped its marketshare in a flat market, although marginally. ''The fundamentals are in place,'' he says.

It's now for Khosla and Dalziel to build on that foundation.

Time To Toast

RICHARD RUSHTON: in high spirits

Somewhat dry, somewhat bitter, but never sweet,'' says South African Breweries of its recent addition to the Indian market, Castle Lager. Making sure that the beer catches on in India will be Richard Rushton, who was recently appointed as the Managing Director of SAB India. A South African with Irish roots, Rushton comes to India from Botswana, where he built up the fifth-largest beer company's operations from scratch. Already the 38-year-old is talking of pushing up marketshare to 10 per cent in India. ''And that's my target for the first year,'' declares the man, who loves Indian food. Before he joined SAB, Rushton was in the healthcare industry, marketing shampoos and toiletries. So, just why does he think pharma and beer mix? ''Beer is just another FMCG product,'' he shrugs. Well, we'll be watching you, Mr Rushton...

Corporates' Best Friend?

HARRIS DIAMOND: no nes is bad news

On september 11, 2001, soon after the planes crashed into the twin-towers of the World Trade Center, Harris Diamond was sitting with the bigwigs at American Airlines, figuring out how best to communicate the tragedy to both the families of the victims and investors. As the CEO of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, that's what Diamond does best. ''Today,'' says he, ''companies are judged by their reputation and that is where we add value.'' Now, he's looking seriously at India-''one of the most exciting markets outside the US.'' Given that the pr giant has yet to rope in its international clients like Coca-Cola, General Motors, and Hewlett-Packard in India, there sure is a lot of work to be done. Diamond is also quite excited about the scope for public affairs, where pr agencies help companies in government and regulatory representations. Of course, that's also because Diamond hasn't yet done the rounds of the North and South Blocks.