By Preetika Rana 
 

NEW DELHI-Nestlé India Ltd., battling its worst-ever branding crisis in the country, announced a new head for its local business Friday.

The Indian arm of Nestlé SA said Suresh Narayanan, chief executive of Nestlé's business in Philippines, would succeed Etienne Benet as managing director, in a release to Indian stock exchanges.

For Mr. Narayan, a company veteran, the announcement marks a return to his home country, where he joined Nestlé in 1999. He has since served as the head of sales for Nestlé in South Asia, as well as led marketing efforts in North East Africa. Mr. Narayan will assume office on Aug. 1, the company said.

The company said Mr. Benet would relocate to Switzerland but it didn't say what his new role would be.

The company's sales have taken a beating in India after it was forced to recall its bestselling product in the country, Maggi 2-Minute Noodles, last month. Indian food-safety regulators said they found dangerously high levels of lead in the instant noodles, an allegation Nestlé denies.

Nestlé has taken regulators to court and is currently challenging a nationwide ban on the product. One in every five dollars the company earns in India comes from the sale of Maggi noodles.

Write to Preetika Rana at preetika.rana@wsj.com

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