Daughter rejoins water company and says family business is 'not for sale?

Jayanti Chauhan, daughter of the founder of bottled water-maker Bisleri, has rejoined the Indian family business more than a year after she quit.

The 27-year-old is being groomed by her father, Ramesh, to eventually take the helm of the family-run water business, according to a report in the Economic Times, a local newspaper.

When contacted, a spokeswoman for the company wasn’t available to comment.

Jayanti first joined Bisleri in April 2009, but quit within a year, citing “de-motivation” as a reason for leaving. But her re-entry comes at a critical time for the family business – companies such as Coca-Cola and Wipro have been eyeing the group as a potential target for acquisition.

However, the second-gen is keen to keep Bisleri in family hands. “The brand is not for sale as long as I am alive. Give me four years and you will see a different avatar of Bisleri,” she told the Economic Times.

She is currently working as a director alongside her 71-year-old father, who is managing director and chairman of the Mumbai-based company. “It is a treat to work with him… We are like the Batman-Robin duo,” she added.

Bisleri traces its roots to company established by Italian Felice Bisleri in the 1960s. It was bought by the Chauhan family and became a part of Indian food and beverage group Parle. The business was later split into three divisions – Parle Products, which deals with biscuits and sweets, Agro, which focuses on drinks, and Bisleri – with each segment headed by various family members.

Bisleri, which holds around 60% of India’s market share for bottled drinking water, had revenues of more than €150 million last year.