Dr. R.S. Sodhi stepped down as the Managing Director of Amul Ltd. and will be replaced by Jayen Mehta, at least provisionally.
Sodhi had been the Managing Director of the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) since June 2010 and is the President of the Indian Dairy Association. GCMMF markets milk under the Amul brand.
Sodhi, who has been associated with the federation for more than four decades, did not ascertain the reason for this sudden move. Sodhi said he was on an extension and had requested the board to relieve him of the responsibility of the MD. At the federation’s board meeting held at the premises of AmulFed dairy in Gandhinagar on Monday, it was decided to end the services of Sodhi. The communication was signed by the federation’s chairman, Shamalbhai Patel, and vice chairman, Valamjibhai Humbal. “My term as MD ended two years ago and continued on extension, but now I have requested the board relieve me of this responsibility. The board had told me to wait for some time, saying they would relieve me once they found a suitable replacement,” Sodhi said.
When Sodhi took over as MD, the federation’s turnover was only Rs. 9,774 crores in the 2010-11 fiscal. In the fiscal year 2021-22, it reached Rs. 61,000 crores. Sodhi, who has been working with the federation for more than 40 years, served as the MD for 12 years.He was first appointed as MD in 2010 for five years. In 2015, he was reappointed to the same post until 2020. Since then, he has been on an extension. Sodhi did his MBA at the Institute of Rural Management in Anand (IRMA) and started his career as a manager with the federation.