The Coca-Cola Company has appointed Narayanan S as Senior Director – eCommerce, based in Gurugram. With over a decade at Coca-Cola, he will lead the company’s digital and omnichannel commerce strategy in India, strengthening platform partnerships, consumer access, and digitally enabled growth initiatives.
Narayanan S’s appointment as Senior Director – eCommerce at The Coca-Cola Company marks a pivotal moment for the beverage major’s digital and modern trade ambitions in India, as the company sharpens its focus on omnichannel growth and digitally enabled consumer engagement. Based in Gurugram, Haryana, Narayanan will spearhead Coca-Cola’s eCommerce and digital commerce strategy at a time when India’s online grocery, quick commerce, and platform-led consumption are reshaping how consumers discover, purchase, and experience brands.
The move reflects Coca-Cola India’s recognition that eCommerce is no longer a peripheral sales channel but a core growth engine requiring dedicated leadership, deep platform partnerships, and seamless integration with traditional retail and on-premise channels. As Senior Director – eCommerce, Narayanan will be responsible for driving omnichannel execution, expanding consumer access, building scalable digital growth models, and strengthening relationships with eCommerce marketplaces, quick commerce players, and emerging digital platforms. His mandate sits at the intersection of strategy, execution, and partnerships, with an emphasis on translating Coca-Cola’s brand strength into consistent digital performance.
Narayanan brings with him over a decade of experience within The Coca-Cola Company, giving him a rare combination of institutional knowledge and cross-functional exposure. His career trajectory at the company has spanned eCommerce, modern trade, on-premise, entertainment, travel retail, and customer management, equipping him with a holistic understanding of how consumption occasions differ across channels and how digital tools can unlock incremental growth. This breadth of experience is particularly relevant as Coca-Cola seeks to blur the lines between physical and digital touchpoints, ensuring that consumers encounter the brand seamlessly whether they are ordering through an app, shopping in a modern trade store, or consuming beverages in cinemas, hotels, or travel hubs.
Most recently, Narayanan served as Senior Director – On Premise and Entertainment within the Customer Management Group for INSWA, where he led national portfolios across food services, cinemas, hotels, airlines, airports, and railways. In that role, he was responsible for managing complex, high-volume partnerships that demanded both operational excellence and strategic foresight. He played a key role in strengthening revenue leadership while advancing digital execution across on-premise channels, an experience that now positions him well to lead Coca-Cola’s eCommerce agenda, where data, demand forecasting, and real-time execution are critical.
His earlier stints within the company further underscore his readiness for the eCommerce leadership role. As Director – On Premise and Travel and Lead – On Premise and Entertainment, Narayanan worked at the confluence of brand building and channel strategy, driving innovation and platform partnerships to unlock new consumption occasions. His tenure as Senior Manager – McDonald’s Business and Organised Wholesale gave him first-hand exposure to managing large, structured customers with exacting standards on supply chain efficiency, digital ordering systems, and consistent brand delivery. These experiences have shaped his ability to navigate complex partner ecosystems, a skill that is increasingly vital in India’s fast-evolving digital commerce landscape.
Earlier in his career, as Senior Brand Manager – Minute Maid, Narayanan was deeply involved in brand-led category growth, overseeing innovation pipelines and digital transformation initiatives. This brand-side experience has given him a consumer-first perspective that complements his channel expertise. In the context of eCommerce, where brand storytelling, discoverability, and personalisation are as important as availability and pricing, such an integrated viewpoint is a significant advantage.
Narayanan’s appointment comes against the backdrop of rapid growth in India’s eCommerce and quick commerce sectors, driven by rising smartphone penetration, improved digital payments infrastructure, and changing consumer expectations around convenience and speed. For beverage companies like Coca-Cola, this shift presents both opportunities and challenges. While digital platforms offer unprecedented access to consumers and rich data insights, they also demand agility, localised assortments, and closer collaboration with platform partners to stand out in a crowded marketplace.
Coca-Cola India has been steadily investing in digital capabilities to address these demands, focusing on data-driven decision-making, digitally enabled route-to-market models, and partnerships that enhance last-mile delivery and visibility. Narayanan’s mandate aligns closely with this strategic direction, as he is expected to integrate eCommerce more deeply into the company’s overall go-to-market strategy rather than treating it as a standalone channel. This includes aligning online and offline pricing, promotions, and availability, as well as leveraging digital insights to inform product launches and marketing campaigns.
His educational background further complements his professional experience. An alumnus of the Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, and ESCP Business School, Narayanan brings a global perspective combined with a strong grounding in management and strategy. This international exposure is particularly relevant as Coca-Cola adapts global best practices in digital commerce to the unique dynamics of the Indian market, which is characterised by regional diversity, varied consumption habits, and a mix of global and homegrown digital platforms.
Industry observers note that leadership appointments like Narayanan’s signal a broader shift within FMCG companies toward building specialised digital leadership roles. As eCommerce matures, the focus is moving beyond basic online availability to more sophisticated objectives such as improving conversion rates, optimising digital shelf presence, and using analytics to drive demand generation. For Coca-Cola, whose portfolio spans sparkling beverages, juices, and other categories, effective digital execution can also support premiumization strategies and targeted offerings for different consumer segments.
Within Coca-Cola India, Narayanan’s elevation is also seen as a testament to the company’s emphasis on internal talent development and leadership continuity. Having spent more than a decade with the organisation, he brings not only functional expertise but also a deep understanding of Coca-Cola’s culture, values, and long-term vision. This continuity is expected to help accelerate execution and alignment as the company scales its eCommerce initiatives.
As Narayanan steps into his new role, the expectations are clear: to build robust, future-ready digital commerce capabilities that can support Coca-Cola India’s growth ambitions in an increasingly competitive marketplace. With his extensive experience across channels, strong track record in driving digital transformation, and consumer-centric approach, his appointment underscores Coca-Cola’s intent to place eCommerce at the heart of its growth strategy, ensuring that the iconic brand remains accessible, relevant, and competitive in India’s rapidly evolving digital economy.
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