Bengaluru: United Breweries Limited (UBL), a HEINEKEN Company, has appointed Shonali Chakravarty to lead Communications, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) for the business in India
Chakravarty joins UBL following a six-year stint at Lenovo, where she most recently led Enterprise Communications across Asia Pacific. At UBL, her mandate brings Communications, Sustainability and CSR together under a single leadership role, expanding the scope of the communications function into areas increasingly linked to business strategy.
The appointment reflects the evolving role of communications leadership, with senior communications professionals increasingly responsible for reputation, executive communications, sustainability, social impact, stakeholder engagement and corporate citizenship.
At UBL, the mandate covers a broad operational and social footprint. The company has a presence across 13 states, with 19 owned and 17 contract breweries, and its Sustainability and CSR agenda spans more than 20 projects. UBL has an overall manufacturing capacity of approximately 24 million hectolitres.
According to a recently released socio-economic impact study by Steward Redqueen, UBL’s value chain contributes nearly ₹43,000 crore to the Indian economy and supports around 2.95 lakh jobs and livelihoods across agriculture, manufacturing, logistics, retail, hospitality and tourism.
With 93% of its inputs sourced locally, UBL’s sustainability agenda covers sustainable agriculture, water stewardship, responsible sourcing and community development, alongside its wider environmental and social commitments.
UBL is part of HEINEKEN, which operates across more than 70 countries. The listed Indian company has a market capitalisation of over ₹35,000 crore and owns brands including Kingfisher, Kingfisher Ultra, Heineken, Heineken Silver and Amstel Grande.
Chakravarty brings experience from high-growth and highly scrutinised businesses. Before Lenovo, she held senior communications roles at Uber and OYO, where public policy, regulatory engagement, stakeholder management, executive communications and corporate reputation were closely connected with business strategy.
Her appointment comes as communications functions increasingly expand beyond traditional reputation management to encompass sustainability, stakeholder trust and corporate impact. By combining Communications, Sustainability and CSR under one mandate, UBL has placed the function at the intersection of reputation, responsible business and long-term value creation.
