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Pernod Ricard India legal chief resigns
Bijoya Roy, the French spirits giant’s legal head in India, has left the company to join Google, sources have said.
Two sources, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said Roy had resigned from the company to join Google as its top India counsel in November.
The news comes as Pernod Ricard battles a number of legal and regulatory headaches in the critical Indian market.
News outlets reporting on Roy’s departure have speculated that the legal head has jumped ship as a result of difficulties faced by the company. However, Google, the US tech giant she joins from November, is confronting several antitrust investigations of its own.
Roy joined Pernod Ricard in 2021 as part of the India division’s leadership team. She also led its compliance division.
the drinks business has reached out to Pernod Ricard for comment on Roy’s departure.
India, which accounts for a tenth of Pernod’s group sales, has been the source of many headaches for the multinational liquor firm.
Pernod is the subject of two antitrust cases in India and is also contesting a tax demand for nearly US$250 million for alleged undervaluation of imports.
In July the company’s hopes of being allowed to resume trading in the Delhi region were dashed, following its latest bid to have its licence restored. Pernod’s licence was rescinded when it was charged with authorising bank loans to retailers in return for their stocking minimum levels of its brands. Pernod Ricard’s brands have not been available in the city since late 2022 after a previous licence application was rejected in April last year.
The company denies any wrongdoing.
Rival drinks giant Diageo has now been dragged into the saga. Hina Nagarajan, the chief executive of United Spirits, Diageo’s Indian subsidiary, was summoned by New Delhi anti-corruption police, who are investigating billing and discount practices involving government agencies running liquor retail shops between 2017 and 2020.
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