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BN Nanjundaiah
Chairman of the Board, Naka Wines |
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BN Nanjundaiah is the Chairman of the Board of Naka Wines. Naka Wines through its wholly owned subsidiary, Naka Wines, is responsible for bringing the Naka and Maya brands of high quality wine to the Indian market. Nanjundaiah is a veteran in the domestic liquor industry where he has played several roles from managing distribution channels countrywide to providing input on all marketing and strategic aspects of one of India’s largest liquor houses. Nanjundaiah started his 35+ year career in the pharmaceutical and associated product business involved in the sales and marketing of medicinal drugs, industrial and agro chemicals. He successfully worked his way up from the bottom to eventually build and manage his own pharmaceutical manufacturing unit based in Bangalore. |
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Leveraging his years of experience in successfully manufacturing and distributing pharmaceutical products, Nanjundaiah then made an entry into the liquor business in India while continuing to operate his manufacturing unit. He spent the next decade and more as a senior advisor to one of India’s largest liquor group overseeing their distribution and marketing aspects of the business. He quickly made a name for himself through his innovative and industry changing ideas in the marketing and general management space. Since then he has used his extensive network and experience to establish a world class wine manufacturing and bottling unit at Bijapur to produce the Naka and Maya brands of wine. He is also involved in the marketing and distribution of the product as its founder and chairman along with his very talented team including his daughter, Sowmya. Nanjundaiah’s education in the pharmacy industry and his extensive career in the production, distribution and marketing functions within the pharmaceutical and liquor industries make him invaluable to the success of Naka Wines. A firm supporter and friend of Karnataka state, Nanjundaiah has been an avid promoter of the wine industry by being an active member of the wine lobby and positively influencing the state’s approach to wine as a key growth industry.
In his spare time he is a keen golfer, loves traveling and has a natural flair for making friends across all walks of life. He is a sharp minded businessman with an extremely friendly and cheerful approach to life and is always willing to lend a hand to those in need. This unique combination of personal and professional attributes, blended with his experience has been instrumental in Naka Wines being one of the most exciting and promising players in its category. |
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Sowmya Nanjundaiah
CEO, Naka Wines |
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“At Naka, we are keen to create an easy to drink wine with a distinctive brand appeal based on high quality and an easy to recall wine. We want to be the emblem of the new age in India creating a global brand with local roots. We are a young non-pretentious winery with an innovative approach to both form and function. Naka means “heaven” in Sanskrit. We hope we can share the experience with our customers” |
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Sowmya Nanjundaiah is the CEO of Naka Wines. Previously, she was a part of the retailing and ITeS industry for several years and set up multiple initiatives both in India and the US.
Sowmya started her career working in the distribution and retailing arm of Khodays - a large liquor conglomerate based in Bangalore. While in the US, she was responsible for corporate fund raising for the United Way in Massachusetts, helping America's largest non-profit organization raise funds for its numerous outreach programs. On her return to India, Sowmya formed a part of the founding team of Nirvana, a Bangalore-based BPO that services global clients with its unique GeNext platform. During Nirvana's formative years she was involved in defining the Strategic Vision and building several key parts of the organization including product development and sales. As head of the New York office, she was responsible for Nirvana's expansion into the North American market.
At a personal level, Sowmya represents an unending thirst for knowledge, a unique level of energy & commitment and a natural gift for relationship building & connecting with people. She is an extremely avid reader of classical literature and has a passion for traveling, discovering new music and of course, wine! |
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| Dermot Sugrue |
| The Wine master for the 2006 vintage, Dermot Sugrue, was previously the Winemaker at Nyetimber Vineyard, the UK's leading sparkling wine producer with a world renowned reputation. (In 1998 and 2006 Nyetimber was voted the Best Bottle-Fermented Sparkling Wine in the World by the IWSC - the International Wine & Spirits Competition). He has also completed many vintages in France, including working for Moet & Chandon in Champagne, and two of the most prestigious estates in Bordeaux - Chateau Leoville-Barton and Chateau L'Eglise-Clinet. He has a BSc Hons Degree in Environmental Sciences and has studied Viticulture and Oenology at Plumpton College, University of Brighton. |
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