Mumbai: Niine, a premium yet affordable and home grown Indian challenger sanitary napkin brand, has announced the appointment of Richa Singh as Chief Executive Officer of Niine Menstrual Hygiene Products. Niine has also pioneered a movement to bridge the gap between the 18% of menstruating females in India using sanitary napkins, and the 82% predominantly engaging in unhygienic practices such as old cloth, rags, hay and even ash often leading to health issues.
Richa Singh, a businesswoman with nearly two decades of experience of turning around the business and financial performance of major FMCG brands at P&G, Johnson & Johnson Ltd, Coca-Cola & Philips in India and Asia Pacific, joins the company as Chief Executive Officer after working closely with social entrepreneur and Founder of Niine Menstrual Hygiene Products and the Niine Movement Amar Tulsiyan and partners Gaurav Bathwal and Sharat Khemka, over the last nine months.
Further appointments have also been announced as part of the organisation’s plan to grow its hygiene products division. They include the appointment of Johnson & Johnson Ltd Marketing and Sales Professional, Tara Singh Chahar as Head of Sales; and Vijay Sharma as Head of Operations, previously Quality and Audit lead at Procter & Gamble’s Femcare and Baby Care Business Units.
Driven by her passion and sharing Amar’s vision to empower women and improve their health and hygiene conditions, Richa now oversees the production, marketing and distribution of affordable high quality premium sanitary napkins as they become available through the length and breadth of the country.
Whilst India is home to 355 million menstruating women, it is the second highest menstruating population globally, with reports suggesting that 71% of girls have no knowledge of menstruation before their first period. The issue is exacerbated further by the expensive cost of sanitary pads, which is often beyond the reach of women in more rural communities, as well as the deep-seated taboos and stigma around menstruation that is prevalent throughout the country.
Richa’s latest role also features an ambitious educational element focused on investing in mindset change and conversion, as she joins the Niine Movement – an audacious five-year initiative to engage and educate people of all genders and ages to tackle the taboos and stigma attached to menstruation and to ensure every girl and woman achieves their full potential by managing their period hygienically.
Spending the last 17 years in leading organisations including P&G, Johnson & Johnson Ltd, Coca-Cola and Philips in both regional and national roles, Richa’s strong penchant for growing businesses and driving teams with infectious energy has helped her to lead countless businesses to success. She has earned significant experience creating value for organisations through supply chain and cost restructuring projects, partnering with external stakeholders and enabling teams and businesses for growth.
Speaking about her appointment, Richa Singh said “I am honoured to be joining Shudh Plus Hygiene Products as Chief Executive Officer. I hope that through our work in distributing high quality sanitary pads at an affordable cost, we will make them more available and help to break down the taboos that surround menstruation, by being able to discuss them in the open. Periods are a normal part of a girl and woman’s life – let’s talk about it.”
Tara Singh Chahar has been appointed as Head of Sales. Joining with 12 years of experience at the Consumer Products division at Johnson & Johnson Ltd, across a variety of roles including sales and marketing functions and analytics. Tara has been applying his extensive sales expertise to Niine over the course of the last few months, utilising some of the best sales talent to help drive strong distribution and availability of current and planned product launches under Shudh Plus Hygiene Products.
Shudh Plus Hygiene Products is not only investing in well qualified professional talent in front line roles, but significant investment and planning has gone into building a strong talent pipeline across the organisation. Supporting its manufacturing and supply chain operations is Vijay Sharma, Head of Operations, who brings with him extensive experience in Quality and Audit and plant operations with Procter & Gamble’s Femcare and Baby Care Business Units.
Gaurav and Sharat have invested three years in the development of the Niine Menstrual Hygiene Products range, laying a strong foundation for talent, technology and quality to cater to a much needed and rapidly expanding hygiene industry. This process and vision is now being taken forward by leading lights of the industry Richa, Tara and Vijay.
Speaking about the new appointments, Amar Tulsiyan, Founder of Niine Sanitary Brands and the Niine Movement has said “We are delighted to have Richa join Shudh Plus Hygiene Products as CEO. She is an extremely talented individual who brings invaluable experience to the company. We are also extremely fortunate to have Tara and Vijay joining us, both of whom bring exceptional expertise to the Sales and Operations departments. I look forward to working with Richa, Tara and Vijay in bridging the gap between 18% of Sanitary Pad users and the 82% who use unhygienic methods, and enabling women across India greater access to high quality and affordable sanitary pads.”
The problem in numbers:
- 35,50,00,000 – Menstruating Women and Girls in India | 71% – Have No Knowledge Of Menstruation Before Their First Period
- 82% girls use Alternatives, Such As An Old Cloth, Rags, Hay, Sand, Or Ash
- Only 18% use Sanitary pads
- 6,30,00,000 adolescent Girls That Live In Homes Without Toilet Facilities
- 88% Adolescent Girls Are Unaware Of The Health Implications That Could Occur Due To Poor Menstrual Hygiene
