In January 2021, the City Pharmacy group of companies welcomes Navin Raju as group CEO. Raju will replace Sir Mahesh Patel as the latter will focus on his duties as the CPL Foundation Chairman and will remain on board as a non-executive director.
According to CPL Group Chairman Stan Joyce, who announced the appointment, Mr. Raju is the perfect fit to take on the role. He said that Mr. Raju has the capacity to restructure an organisation, transform strategy and achieve growth in return for the investments and sales. He also added that he has driven down costs through smarter buying.
“A graduate of Auckland University with a Bachelor of Commerce and an MBA from Southern Cross University we are confident that he possesses the skills necessary to drive CPL forward,” he said. “CPL remains committed to the development of staff and these changes at the CEO level reflect the ongoing succession plans which operate throughout CPL. The commitment and input of Sir Mahesh and his family at a time when CPL was facing dire financial stress were indeed truly remarkable.”
Mr. Rahu joined CPL in 2018 and has had leading roles in the Hardware Haus business and the Azurium business transformation project (BTP).
“And he was promoted to the role of group chief operating officer of CPL at the beginning of 2020, during which time he has continued to oversee the BTP whilst ensuring the gains made in HHL were sustainable,” Mr Joyce said.
