Prime Highlights
- Dhar moves from leading McCain Foods’ India business to heading its Australia and New Zealand operations, based in Melbourne.
- He has already begun the transition, though his physical move will take a couple of months.
Key Facts
- Dhar has nearly 30 years of experience across firms like P&G, General Mills and Kimberly-Clark.
- He authors leadership content on LinkedIn and is studying Generative AI at Stanford.
Background
Mainak Dhar, who currently heads McCain Foods’ India business, will move to Melbourne to lead the company’s Australia and New Zealand operations. Dhar shared the news with Storyboard18, saying he has already started transitioning into the new role even though his physical relocation will take a couple of months.
The move shifts Dhar’s focus from India to a wider regional business, adding to a career that spans consumer goods companies across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
He brings close to three decades of experience, having worked at companies including Procter & Gamble, General Mills, Kimberly-Clark and McCain Foods. His background includes both brand management roles and CEO or general management positions.
At McCain Foods, Dhar has overseen the India business, which centres on frozen food products. His shift to ANZ comes as the company continues running operations across several international markets, with Australia and New Zealand forming a separate regional unit.
Before joining McCain Foods, Dhar held leadership roles in packaged foods, beauty and personal care, quick-service restaurants and over-the-counter healthcare categories.
Outside his corporate work, Dhar writes and mentors on leadership. He has authored more than 20 books and runs the LeadershipIn100Words series on LinkedIn, which he says has drawn over four million views.
He is also building GotMyBack.ai, a project blending leadership mentoring with AI, and is studying Generative AI through Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.
