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= Vindi Banga = Manvinder Singh Banga, also known as Vindi Banga, (31 October 1954) is an Indian businessman. He is best known for holding relevant positions in Unilever such as that of Chairman and CEO of Hindustan Unilever Ltd., among others, and for being awarded the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to global trade and industry.

Early life and education
Born in India, Vindi Banga completed a Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi in 1975, where he gained a gold medal. He also completed a postgraduate degree in management at the Indian Institute of Management, where he also achieved a gold medal.

Career
Banga joined Unilever in India in 1977, and worked in various marketing and customer development roles. In 1993 he was appointed General Manager, Personal Products, Hindustan Lever Limited. He had previously served as Marketing Manager – Fabrics Wash in the same company. Two years later he was appointed Director of Detergents, Hindustan Lever, and Category Leader for Soaps and Detergents for Unilever’s Central Asia and Middle East region. In 1998 he became Senior Vice President, Hair and Oral Care.

In 2000 he was appointed Chairman and Managing Director of Hindustan Unilever Ltd. and two years later he was appointed President, Home & Personal Care Asia based in Singapore. He retained his Chairmanship of HLL in a non-executive capacity. In this role he was responsible for a €7bn business across North East Asia, China, South East Asia, Australasia and South Asia including India. This year he was also appointed to serve on the Prime Minister of India’s Council of Trade & Industry.

In 2005 Banga joined Unilever Executive Board as President in April, and in 2008 he was also made responsible for the Home and Personal Care categories, as a result of a restructuring of business operations. Four years later he was named India’s Global Achiever at a CNBC sponsored awards ceremony in New Dheli. He joined the board of Thomson Reuters, the news organisation.

Banga left Unilever in May 2010 after 33 years with the company. That year he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in New Delhi, one of India’s highest honours, for his contribution to global trade and industry. During his time at Unilever, Vindi led the creation of a One Unilever Global Foods, Home & Personal Care Global Category Organization, which is responsible for innovation and marketing mix development for all Unilever brands.

Outside Unilever, he was also on the board and managing committees of various bodies, including the Confederation of Indian Industry, the Indian Institute of Management, and the Indian School of Business, in Hyderabad. He was also a director on the board of Maruti Udyog Ltd, India’s largest car manufacturer.