Dr Vibhav Sanzgiri is the Executive Director, R&D of Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL). He is also the Chief R&D officer for HUL, as well as the Site Leader for the India-based Unilever and HUL R&D Centres in Mumbai and Bengaluru. He is also a member of Unilever’s Global R&D Leadership team and has served on the leadership teams of several Unilever partnerships.
Prior to this role, Vibhav has held various Global and Regional roles across Unilever, managing teams worldwide and leading R&D for multiple global brands, including Dove, Dove Men+Care, LUX, Lifebuoy, Pond’s, Glow & Lovely, and Vaseline. Several 1st-of-a-kind capabilities for Unilever, including the Agile Innovation Hub and the Bars Advanced Manufacturing Centre, have been set up under Vibhav’s leadership.
With a PhD in Microbiology/Molecular Biology from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (Mumbai) and several international publications and patents to his name, Vibhav is passionate about pushing the boundaries of innovation by combining cutting-edge science and technology with sustainability and deep consumer insight. His primary focus is on developing consumer-desirable, SASSY mixes that integrate radical material efficiency, lower environmental impact, and circular design principles, while supporting healthier, more sustainable choices for consumers and the planet.
As past Co-Chair of the Science & Technology committee of FICCI, Vibhav has partnered with the FICCI and McKinsey teams to help envision the concept of Innovation Clusters in India as part of the India@100 thinking. He is also currently a member of the CII Industry-Academia Collaboration Committee and the Technology Advisory Group (TAG) for the Government of India.
Vibhav is a champion for Diversity & Inclusion, having led the 100% Gender Balance and inclusion of People with Disabilities across Unilever R&D in India. He also helped set up the HUL Women in STEM Fellowship for PhD Students. Vibhav is an avid reader and history traveller in his spare time, as well as a numismatic and collector of art and antiquities.