Colgate Palmolive India names Kenvue's India head as new CEO

Colgate-Palmolive India COLG.NS on Friday named Kenvue KVUE.N executive Manish Anandani as its managing director and chief executive officer effective September 28, as the toothpaste maker bets on premium products and e-commerce to drive growth in an increasingly competitive consumer market.

The current CEO and MD of the global consumer major's India unit, Prabha Narasimhan, will take on the role of executive vice president of marketing for the Asia-Pacific division at Colgate-Palmolive CL.N, the company added.

The move comes as Colgate-Palmolive India bets on e-commerce channels for its premiumisation strategy, with premium products accounting for more than half of e-commerce sales, the company said.

Narasimhan served as managing director and CEO of Colgate-Palmolive India for nearly four years, having held senior leadership roles in the consumer products industry. During her tenure, Colgate-Palmolive India's shares have risen 14.5%, compared with a nearly 9% gain in the Nifty FMCG index .NIFTYFMCG over the same period.

The company's shares fell about 1% on Friday after the announcement.

Anandani joins from Kenvue, where he most recently led the India and South Asia region, after a four-year stint at the consumer health company that was spun off from Johnson & Johnson in 2023. He previously held senior roles at Johnson & Johnson and spent nearly 13 years at Colgate-Palmolive in India and globally, with experience spanning e-commerce and retail strategy.