Vibhav R Sanzgiri
Dr Vibhav R. Sanzgiri (53) is the Executive Director, R&D of Hindustan Unilever Limited. He is also the Global Head R&D for Unilever’s Skin Cleansing Category, a member of Unilever’s R&D Leadership Team and Site Leader for all the 3 India-based Unilever R&D Centres in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Gurugram.
Executive Director, R&D
Vibhav is a Microbiologist & Molecular Biologist with a Ph.D. from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, India. He joined Hindustan Unilever R&D in 1997 and over the next few years, transitioned through roles in SEAC (Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre), Home Hygiene, and played a key role in developing the Pureit water purifying device. Following this, he held various global and regional roles both in Skin Care and Skin Cleansing and has led the global mix design for brands including Glow & Lovely, Pond’s, Vaseline, Lifebuoy, Lux, Pears, Hamam, Dove and Dove Men+Care.
Vibhav has also led R&D efforts during the COVID crises - including the first-ever claims by a soap on efficacy vs the SARS-Cov2 virus, and has been leading the global agenda on Biodegradability, NDPE Palm, Sustainability and Net Zero for the Personal Care business. Vibhav has also been instrumental in setting up several pioneering capabilities for HUL/Unilever, including the 1st ever BSL-2 Virus and Cyst testing capability, and more recently, the Digital Agile Innovation Hub and the Global Bars Advanced Manufacturing Center.
Vibhav has multiple patents and publications to his credit and has represented Unilever at several International Dermatology and Hygiene forums (including the World Congress on Health & Hygiene, The Global Innovation Forum and Asian Dermatology Conference). He has also been involved in setting up and managing external collaborations including those with NEERI, Skin Health Alliance, RSPH and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. He has worked with multiple Indian institutes such as NCBS and IISER and the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India to sponsor the 1st of its kind study on the multi-variate factors affecting response and immunity to COVID post vaccination.
He is also the Co-Chair of the Science & Technology committee of FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry), where he plays a key role in defining and setting the agenda for Innovation Clusters. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the Government of India.