TMS Ep345: Amul's RS Sodhi, Oyo IPO, Auto Expo 2023, Montreal Protocol

Rupinder Singh Sodhi was at the helm of India’s biggest dairy brand, Amul, for the last 12 years. During his tenure as the MD of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) -- which owns Amul -- the sales grew by over five times. Even as another company insider, Jayen Mehta, replaces him, the nature of Sodhi’s exit has raised a few questions. But Sodhi said he had asked the cooperative to relieve him of the responsibility. Notwithstanding the row surrounding his exit, Sodhi leaves behind a rich legacy. Lets take a look at that. Lets also find about the challenges that one of the world’s top milk processors faces under the new leadershi

Just before his exit, Sodhi had told a national daily that a significant portion of Amul’s growth is coming from tier-II and tier-III cities. With the rise of the middle class, smaller cities are now the key driving force in most company’s growth. Oyo founder Ritesh Agarwal said that Oyo witnessed higher bookings in Varanasi than Goa during the New Year. The start-up is trying to recover from the pandemic shock. It is cleaning up its books. It is also trying to raise money from the markets. But Oyo’s IPO has been hanging fire for a while now. Sebi has now asked the firm to refile the papers. Here is a peek into Oyo’s financials and also tells us why its IPO is getting delayed.

Meanwhile, the 16th edition of Auto Expo is creating solid buzz among industry players. But investors have refrained from betting on related stocks. Analysts, on their part, see this as the obvious reaction. First, giants like Audi, BMW, M&M, and Skoda have given it a miss. Secondly, automakers are showcasing new models of electric vehicles, where 4-wheelers hardly command any market share. However, given the improving infra around EVs, will these new launches at the expo shift auto stocks into top gear?

After the markets, let us move on to a rather pressing issue, the safety of our planetary life. In good news, experts recently said that the ozone layer which blocks the harmful UV rays is finally filling up. Steps taken after the Montreal Protocol made it possible. In this segment of podcast, we tell more about this treaty and how it helped in the healing of this crucial layer.