MUMBAI, May 9: Cadbury India has inducted two new directors on the board, iAN Johnston and Brian Rodgers. They fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of JM Sunderland and Rajiv Bakshi.

In its notice to shareholders, seeking their approval for the resolution, the company has resolved to appoint Rodgers as an executive director for three years beginning March 6. He will look after the commercial and logistics department.

Cadbury has also received the centre's nod for increasing its board strength from 12 to 15 directors. The resolution was passed by shareholders at its last annual general meeting. Following this, the vice-presidents have now been designated executive directors.

Sunderland resigned from November 14, 1996, to take on his new assignment as group chief executive of Cadbury Schweppes Plc. Bakshi followed suit, on January 10, 1997, after his deputation to UK as regional marketing director, Africa, South Asia and the Middle-east.

With Bakshi out, sales and marketing was allocated to Deepak Sethi, who was earlier vice-president, commercial and logistics.

Johnston has had an international career with Unilever and, of late, a stint with Cadbury Schweppes Plc, which he joined in 1982. In 1990, he was appointed managing director of Cadbury Schweppes Australian soft drinks operations. He later moved on to the UK in 1994, as managing director of Cadbury. He was inducted on the board of Cadbury Schweppes Plc as managing director of the confectionery stream in July 1996.

Rodgers joins the board after an initial phase with ICI, before coming to Cadbury Schweppes in 1985. He worked at Cadbury operations in Poland, Cairo, Pakistan and Russia before joining Cadbury India in 1997 as director, commercial and logistics.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.