Perfetti Van Melle India hands packaging reins to P&G Veteran Pradeep Bhatt

INDIA – Perfetti Van Melle India has appointed Pradeep Bhatt as Head of Packaging, placing a Procter and Gamble engineering veteran in charge of a function covering innovation and sustainability across its confectionery portfolio.

Bhatt spent seven years at Procter and Gamble, most recently as Senior Manager for Engineering, Packing and Packaging. 

In that position he directed materials and process development for the consumer health portfolio in India and contributed to engineering-led savings programmes. 

That combination of technical qualification and cost reduction work reflects the dual pressures packaging leaders now face, where material performance must be preserved while unit costs and environmental impact decline.

Feminine Care Role Included Lab Setup and Sustainability Roadmap

Earlier at Procter and Gamble, Bhatt managed technical packaging for the feminine care business in India. 

His responsibilities covered packaging consumer research, developing a sustainability roadmap and establishing a packaging laboratory at a manufacturing site. 

Setting up an on-site laboratory gives a business faster iteration on material trials and failure analysis, reducing dependence on external testing and shortening development cycles.

Asia-Pacific and ITC Experience Broaden Material Exposure

Before joining Procter and Gamble, Bhatt spent more than four years at British American Tobacco in Malaysia, handling packaging development, new product introduction and productivity initiatives across Asia-Pacific markets. 

He previously worked in packaging development at ITC, covering personal care products, packaging trials and cost-saving projects. 

Across these roles he has worked with regulated tobacco formats, personal care packaging and consumer health products, accumulating experience across differing compliance regimes and material systems.

Confectionery Sector Faces Tightening Packaging Rules

Perfetti Van Melle operates in confectionery, where packaging must reconcile shelf appeal, portion control and cost sensitivity across high-volume, low-margin lines. 

Indian rules on plastic packaging, including extended producer responsibility obligations, are raising requirements on recyclability and recycled content. 

Bhatt’s mandate places him where format redesign, material substitution and supplier qualification converge, determining whether compliance targets are met without disrupting production economics. 

His appointment reflects wider movement of experienced packaging professionals between multinational consumer goods firms as companies build internal capability to manage regulatory change and raw material volatility.

Subscribe to our email newsletters that provide busy executives like you with the latest news insights and trends from Africa and the World. SUBSCRIBE HERE