Unilever’s Anshul Asawa To Be CEO of DMart's Parent Company; Neville Noronha To Step Down

Neville Noronha, who has been at the helm of Avenue Supermarts for over two decades will step down from his position as Managing Director and CEO upon the conclusion of his term in January 2026. He will be succeeded by Anshul Asawa, currently the General Manager of Greater Asia for Home Care and Head of Country for Unilever, Thailand. Asawa will take over as MD and CEO on 1 February 2026.

Asawa, who has been appointed as CEO designated by the company’s board, will assume this role starting 15 March 2025.

A veteran of Unilever, Asawa began his career in 1995 and held senior leadership positions in sales and marketing across various regions in India. He also led marketing for several prominent tea brands in the country. Asawa's career trajectory includes roles such as implementation director for Western Europe and general manager for the East Branch and rural channels. His leadership experience spans a variety of roles, including vice president of marketing operations for Unilever South Asia and global VP for Radiant Brand. In his most recent role, he was vice president for marketing, home care at Unilever Europe, where he drove digital and ecommerce growth, leading channel transformations and customer agendas globally.

Noronha, who joined DMart in January 2004 from Hindustan Unilever, played a key role in guiding the company from its early stages to its current status as one of India’s largest supermarket chains. Under his leadership, DMart expanded from 5 stores to over 380 stores and surpassed an annual turnover of Rs 50,000 crore.