MUMBAI: BIC Cello, India’s leading writing instruments company, announced the appointment of Manos Nikolakis as General Manager to lead its operations in India. Manos joins the BIC Cello team to drive the integrated growth strategy of the business and accelerate its development at home and abroad.

Manos is a BIC veteran having been with the company for more than 15 years. In his previous roles he led the business growth strategies for Greece, South Africa, Middle East, and South Asia. Before relocating to India, Manos was the General Manager for the Southern, East and Central Africa region, heading four BIC subsidiaries including South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia. In this capacity, he also set up the group’s newest subsidiary, BIC East Africa, in Kenya.

Commenting on the new appointment, Gonzalve Bich, Chief Executive Officer, BIC said, “India is a dynamic market with a relatively young population who demand new products and solutions to fit their evolving needs. With a proven track record and rich experience in developing markets, Manos is ideally placed to bring forward our BIC entrepreneurial spirit and work with our local team in India to drive our business forward.”

BIC Cello recently launched its largest stationery manufacturing unit in Asia near Vapi, Gujarat. The new manufacturing unit comes as the latest addition to BIC Cello’s existing network of factories placed in Daman and one in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Renowned for its quality and innovative products, the company sells more than five million pens per day in India alone. Spread across 66 countries, BIC Cello continues to strengthen its position as a leader in the ballpoint pen segment.