Bharat Puri

Bharat Puri has served as Managing Director of Pidilite Industries since 2017, bringing a consumer goods marketing background from his previous role as CEO of Cadbury India. Pidilite is India's undisputed leader in adhesives, sealants, and construction chemicals — a company that has achieved the rare distinction of having its brand name become a generic term. In India, "Fevicol" doesn't just mean Pidilite's adhesive; it has entered everyday Hindi as a synonym for any unbreakable bond, immortalized in Bollywood songs and cultural references. Pidilite's competitive moat is extraordinary: Fevicol commands over 70% market share in India's white glue/adhesive segment, and the brand's distribution reaches virtually every hardware store, carpenter's workshop, and construction site across India's vast and fragmented retail landscape. The company has leveraged this distribution power to expand into adjacent categories: Dr. Fixit (waterproofing solutions), M-Seal (epoxy putty), Fevikwik (instant adhesive), and a growing range of construction chemicals. Under Puri's leadership, Pidilite has focused on premiumization (introducing higher-value formulations), geographical expansion into smaller Indian cities and international markets (particularly the Middle East and Africa), and building the construction chemicals business as India's construction boom accelerates. Key stock drivers include India's housing and construction activity, raw material costs (vinyl acetate monomer is the key input), distribution expansion, new product introduction success, and the ability to maintain Pidilite's extraordinary market share and brand premium against both multinational competitors (Henkel, 3M) and local challengers.