The US-based parent company announced that Samuel has been promoted to the newly created position of Vice President, and Managing Director of Colgate South Asia through which he will look after the India operations. Currently, Samuel holds the position of Vice President and Managing Director of Colgate's South Pacific operations. The South Asian region includes India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

A Colgate statement said Jayaraman has been with Colgate India for 20 years, serving in a number of key marketing and sales positions. As MD, Jayaraman has made significant contributions to the success of the Indian operations - till Hindustan Lever came up with its Pepsodenttoothpaste and halted Colgate's march. Colgate posted a lower net profit in the fiscal 1998 due to an aggressive marketing campaign launched by HLL which corroded Colgate's market share and compelled Colgate to restructure its Indian operations.

According to a Colgate statement, Jayaraman was instrumental in setting up a new research and development centre, a new manufacturing facility in Nepal and the completion of a di-calcium phosphate facility in Aurangabad.

``Jay's past marketing experience and his management skills will contribute significantly to the company's business development activities around the world. He will be based in the company's headquarters in New York,'' a news release issued from New York claimed.

The move to shift Jayaraman comes in the wake of Colgate upping advertising expenditure to keep at bay ace rival Hindustan Lever (HLL) from eating into its share. In the skirmish for acquiring market share in the Rs 1,000 crore plus Indian oral care market, Colgate's toothpaste sharehas dwindled in the urban market to around 49 per cent, while HLL's share stands at around 42 per cent. This further reducing the gap between the two multinational rivals.

The market share of its flagship brand Colgate Dental Cream (CDC) which was eroded in July 1998 to 42.53 per cent in volume (rural plus urban) from 44.84 per cent in the month of June that year, stands at around 42 per cent.

SmithKline Beecham MD to head back to US

BANGALORE: SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals India managing director, D McDonald has decided to call it a day after a tenure of around five years in the country. He will relinquish office within a span of two months to head back to the US accepting new responsibilities within the group.

The company has not yet named the successor to McDonald who joined the India subsidiary in January 1995. According to a letter sent on June 30, 1999, to his employees at the manufacturing facility here, McDonald said: ``After joining the India subsidiary in 1995, this is the righttime to call it a day. The decision on the new managing director will be taken soon by our parent company.''

The company had reported a 28.15 per cent fall in its net profit during the quarter ended March 1999 at Rs 7.98 crore (Rs 11.08 crore).