Harish Manwani

The keynotes by Harish Manwani focus on creating socially responsible businesses and re-structuring the business model to put more focus on responsible profit. Manswani is the Chief Operating Officer of Unilever and he has spent his career turning the company into a business with social responsibility.

Before joining Blackstone in 2015, Mr. Manwani was the Chief Operating Officer of Unilever responsible for managing the P&L across all of Unilever’s global markets. Mr. Manwani spent thirty-eight years with Unilever, holding various senior general management positions in different parts of the world, including overseeing Unilever’s businesses in Latin America, North America, Asia and Africa.

As a Senior Operating Partner, Mr. Manwani assists and guides selected Blackstone portfolio companies across the world and helps in diligencing investment opportunities. In addition, he helps guide portfolio operations and advises the management teams of Blackstone’s Indian portfolio companies. Mr. Manwani serves on the Board of Directors of Nielsen Holdings plc, Qualcomm Incorporated, Pearson plc, Whirlpool Corporation and The Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore. He is also non-Executive Chairman of Hindustan Unilever Limited in India.

Mr. Manwani received a B.Sc. (Honors) degree from Bombay University and a Master’s degree in Management Studies. He has also attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.