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Tag: Colgate-Palmolive

  • Strategy meets soul as Mudramax brings Atrayee on board

    Strategy meets soul as Mudramax brings Atrayee on board

     MUMBAI: At Mudramax, strategy just got a spiritual upgrade. The agency has appointed Atrayee Chakraborty as senior vice president of Strategy, tasking her with shaping human-centred media strategies built on insight, data, and innovation. She will report to Navin Kathuria, executive vice president of Mudramax.

    Armed with over 20 years of experience across India and global markets, Atrayee brings an enviable mix of creativity, analytics, and cultural intuition. Her career has spanned leadership roles at Lodestar UM, Essence Mediacom, and Red Fuse Communications, where she guided brands like Colgate-Palmolive and several D2C disruptors through transformative media journeys.

    Speaking on her appointment, Navin Kathuria said, “We are thrilled to have Atrayee join us. Her expertise will bring immense value as we strengthen our strategic media capabilities, focusing on data- and tech-driven next-gen media solutions. Her international experience will help unlock new growth avenues by creating experiences that don’t just reach audiences but engage deeply, inspire action, and deliver results.”

    For Atrayee, the move feels serendipitous. “This role feels almost tailor-made for what I love doing, blending creativity with strategy to unlock client growth,” she shared. “Mudramax’s agility, collaborative spirit, and integrated creative-media structure give us a unique edge in the market and I’m looking forward to amplifying that advantage.”

    A strategist by day and a certified Spiritual Life Coach by calling, Atrayee’s creative compass extends beyond media decks, she’s also the author of ‘Soul Compass’ and a painter of cosmic landscapes. Her multidimensional background hints at the kind of holistic storytelling she’s likely to champion at Mudramax where data and design meet heart and human insight.

    As the agency sharpens its strategic muscle for the next growth phase, Atrayee’s blend of intuition and intellect might just be the north star guiding Mudramax’s next big leap.

     

  • Marketing maestro plugs into EV future at Astro Motors

    Marketing maestro plugs into EV future at Astro Motors

    MUMBAI: Aniruddha Khandekar, a true grand fromage in the marketing consultancy world, has just revved up his career with a cracking new gig. He’s been tapped as the fresh-faced marketing director at Astro Motors IN, an emerging electric vehicle manufacturer looking to absolutely revolutionise the industry. He’s only been on the job since March 2025, but one expects he’s already hitting the ground running in Pune, Maharashtra.

    Astro Motors isn’t just another tin box on wheels; it’s a disruption-focused outfit intent on combining sheer innovation with a dollop of education to cut through the noise in India’s bewildering EV marketplace. Its advanced vehicle design, superior performance, and integrated management systems are built to meet the demands of everyone from your individual punter to the largest fleet operators. It sounds like the folks there are not just selling cars, they’re selling a vision – and a very British one at that.

    Khandekar brings a truly impressive pedigree to the role, having clocked up over 20 years in the cut-throat advertising and media trenches. The strategy consultant and fractional CMO, formerly of G-S-D Consulting, has been a marketing gun-for-hire, delivering impact for a stellar roster of clients. He’s previously steered the strategic ship for heavy hitters like Marico, Colgate Palmolive, Dell, and Lenovo during his VMLY&R days. Before that, his brainy insights bolstered giants such as Bajaj Auto, P&G, Oreo, Asian Paints, and Tata Sky during stints at Leo Burnett and Ogilvy. He’s consulted for everyone from EdTech startups like Accreda to Web3 MarTech platforms such as Cultos, even dabbling in market entry strategy for an electric commuter motorcycle – quite the pre-nup for his current role, one might say!

    With a track record of shaping consumer insights and crafting go-to-market strategies, Khandekar’s arrival promises to inject a serious jolt of marketing wizardry into Astro Motors. The EV space just got a bit more exciting, and rather stylishly so.

  • Punit Thakkar brushes off the sugar for colgate’s digital strategy

    Punit Thakkar brushes off the sugar for colgate’s digital strategy

    MUMBAI: Talk about brushing up your portfolio, literally. After over three years of crafting digital strategies for chocolates, biscuits and beverages at Mondelez, Punit Thakkar has made a minty-fresh move. He now steps into the role of business director for Digital (Colgate-Palmolive) at Wavemaker India, leading full-funnel digital media planning for one of the country’s most iconic personal care brands.

    Having officially taken the reins in November 2024, Thakkar is now going public with the news classic digital marketer style, a few months fashionably late. “From chocolates to toothpaste, same performance mindset, just fewer cavities,” he quipped in his announcement.

    In this role, Thakkar oversees the digital planning team handling brand and commerce campaigns across Colgate verticals. His key focus? Using first-party data from CRM, sampling, and website engagement to build precise audience frameworks and drive sharper ROI. With strategies including lookalike modelling, exclusions, and sequencing, the goal is to optimise both awareness and performance campaigns through smarter targeting and media mix alignment.

    Before this, Thakkar led digital for Mondelez India, managing a glittering portfolio that included Cadbury Dairy Milk, Oreo, 5 Star, Silk, and Bournvita. He championed 1P data integration into festive, IPL, and seasonal campaigns, setting benchmarks for eCommerce alignment and funnel mapping across consumer journeys. Prior stints include leading digital for Vodafone Idea and driving performance marketing during his early years at Wavemaker.

    With a decade-long track record, Thakkar brings sharp thinking and full-funnel finesse to the oral care giant’s digital playbook now armed with the morning routine of an entire nation. Whether it’s a 7am swish or a late-night scroll, you can bet Punit Thakkar’s campaigns are ready to pop up on your screen, toothbrush in hand.

  • Colgate’s crown jewel Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi heads to Amazon

    Colgate’s crown jewel Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi heads to Amazon

    MUMBAI: She’s brushed up brand campaigns for over a decade  and a half— now she’s scrubbing into a new gig. After a sparkling 16-year stint at Colgate-Palmolive (she resigned in mid-2024), Priyanka Khaneja Gandhi has moved on to lead Amazon India’s advertising marketing and creative solutions  as head of Amazon India Ads Marketing.

    The Mumbai-based marketing powerhouse, long synonymous with Colgate’s integrated brand experiences, joined Amazon in April 2025. At the ecommerce behemoth, she will helm creative and marketing solutions for its burgeoning ads business — a space heating up as retail media becomes the new battleground for digital dollars.

    At Colgate, Gandhi led from the front as director – integrated brand experience, overseeing everything from media strategy to e-commerce marketing. She commanded advertising spends north of Rs 500 crore annually, driving digital transformation and performance metrics across social, search, video, and influencer platforms. Her remit spanned digital content, shopper campaigns, data strategy and even building a first-party data ecosystem — all of which align seamlessly with Amazon’s ad-tech ambitions.

    Before Colgate, she sharpened her skills at top media shops like Madison, Carat, Starcom, and Enterprise Nexus. Across more than two decades in the trenches, Gandhi’s been a steady force behind brand communication, media efficiency and digital innovation.

    Now, with Amazon turning up the heat in the Indian advertising market, all eyes will be on how Gandhi retools the e-retailer’s pitch to brands and buyers alike — from toothbrushes to tech.

  • Business Today unveils 21st edition of the Most Powerful Women in business, honours winners

    Business Today unveils 21st edition of the Most Powerful Women in business, honours winners

    Mumbai: Business Today celebrated the 21st edition of the Most Powerful Women in Business list on November 8 in Mumbai. The event brought together visionary women leaders, entrepreneurs, and executives from diverse sectors to discuss key challenges and new opportunities for women in Indian business.

    Union minister of commerce and industry, Piyush Goyal, was the chief guest at the event. He alongside India Today Group vice-chairperson and executive editor-in-chief Kalli Purie, unveiled the MPW Special Issue of the magazine, which featured the inspiring stories of the women leaders who made it to this year’s prestigious list.  

    Addressing the stalwarts and guests, Goyal emphasised India’s enduring respect for female leadership and praised the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government’s initiatives to empower women.

    He also highlighted India’s resilience to potential tariff increases from the US after Donald Trump’s re-election, stating, “India is regarded as a trusted partner by the democratic world.” He also assured that India was willing to reduce tariffs on products where there is little competition, such as heavy motorcycles from Harley Davidson.

    This year, Business Today recognised 60 women leaders across various industries, with 12 new faces added to the list, showcasing the increasing diversity and dynamism of female leadership in India. Alongside these new honourees, four returning achievers highlighted the consistent excellence and evolution in their fields. Two leaders were inducted into the Hall of Fame, having been a part of the list a record seven times, underscoring their profound and enduring impact on the business landscape.

    This year’s event was centered around the theme “Balance. Work. Life. Safety” focused on the delicate balance women strive to maintain between their professional and personal lives. It also addressed the need for greater gender equity and inclusivity in business.

    Distinguished honourees were Schauna Chauhan, CEO of Parle Agro; Ananya Birla, Founder & Chairperson of Svatantra Microfinance; Prabha Narasimhan, MD & CEO of Colgate-Palmolive (India); Prativa Mohapatra, VP & Managing Director of Adobe India; Ameera Shah, Executive Chairperson of Metropolis Healthcare; and Padmaja Ruparel, Co-founder of Indian Angel Network, among others. To know about the full list, log on to https://btmostpowerfulwomen.com/2024/

    During a thought-provoking panel discussion, Prabha Narasimhan, MD & CEO of Colgate-Palmolive (India) highlighted the underappreciation of women’s contributions. “Grit, Gumption and Guts are common to men and women both. What makes it interesting for women as we tend to undersell ourselves a little bit,” she said.

    Indian Angel Network co-founder Padmaja Ruparel emphasized the societal barriers women face and the importance of embracing risk. “Women always had a tough time. In most societies, not just India, people have preconceived notions about women. That’s the first challenge. The second point is that the women are not grown or nurtured to take risks in their workplace,” said Padmaja.

    Prativa Mohapatra, VP & Managing Director of Adobe India and Pavitra Shankar, MD of Brigade Group also shared their personal journeys of resilience and leadership.

    In another insightful session, Edelweiss AMC MD & CEO Radhika Gupta, celebrated women’s innate multitasking abilities. “Women are natural multitaskers without any professional training and spreadsheets. Multitasking is a tremendous skill in leadership… So, what we traditionally refer to as feminine skill sets are those which are required in the workplace,” she said.

    Shefali Goradia, Chairperson of Deloitte South Asia, and Amisha Vora, Chairperson & MD of Prabhudas Lilladher Group, discussed the importance of self-belief and the need to close the gender gap in corporate leadership. Shefali said that in India there is still a lack of equal seats for women at the high table despite awareness, while Gupta urged women to move from being cautious savers to confident investors, encouraging them to extend their financial stewardship beyond the household.

    The theme of work-life balance was a key point of reflection throughout the day. Nirupa Shankar, Joint MD of Brigade Group, observed that the idea of “work-life balance” is evolving, with more emphasis now on work-life integration. Devita Saraf, Chairperson & CEO of Vu Group, echoed this thought and stressed the importance of setting clear boundaries to maintain focus and mental well-being.

    Since its inception in 2003, Business Today’s Most Powerful Women in Business list has served as an important platform to recognize women who have made significant contributions to their industries. This year’s event not only celebrated the accomplishments of these remarkable leaders but also underscored the critical need to address gender disparities and create an environment where women can truly thrive.

  • Kantar launches Sensory eValuate in India as a part of its Innovation testing suite

    Kantar launches Sensory eValuate in India as a part of its Innovation testing suite

    Mumbai: – Having worked with marquee clients like, Loreal, Colgate Palmolive, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Pepsi, Johnson & Johnson, Bayer, Diageo, and Unilever globally, Kantar, the world’s leading marketing data and analytics company announces the launch of Sensory eValuate in India as a part of Innovation testing suite. It uses sensory research to help evaluate consumer products using the human senses – touch, smell, sight, sound and hearing.

    Strong brands generate superior shareholder returns, are more resilient in times of crisis and recover more quickly – those investing in innovation saw their brand value increase by 273 per cent. Innovation is the foundation for a brand’s growth and it’s imperative in challenging times, however, most innovation fails. As per Kantar’s Innovation Guide 2021, 15 per cent of new product launches contribute to top-line growth, however, only 20 per cent of new product launches survive. It is therefore more essential than ever to keep the consumer at the heart of product development and understand their modern-day pressure points and desires.

    Driven by scientific expertise, Sensory eValuate helps to develop and optimise superior products; explore, design, or optimise new and existing products to drive consumer satisfaction, repeat purchase and brand loyalty – giving marketers the ability to protect and maximise the value of their brand equity. The solution covers a broad range of categories including food & beverage, fragrance, personal care and beauty, cleaning products, automotive, physical environments, and consumer goods. Catering to three critical stages of innovation aligned to growth – Identity, Build and Launch, Sensory eValuate provides insights through the process in a layered approach. The new offer complements other solutions from Kantar’s eValuate suite of innovation tools, including Idea eValuate, Concept eValuate, Pack eValuate and Product eValuate, to help clients identify growth opportunities. These solutions are highly flexible and can be customised according to client needs.

    Speaking about Sensory eValuate, Kantar lead – innovation, South Asia, insights division Ranjana Gupta said, “Understanding what product formulation best meets expectations requires specific sensory expertise and methods. Sensory eValuate brings insight into the detailed attribute level of formulations, empowering the R&D capability within client organisations for the creation of the ultimate sensory experience. Understanding how flavour, fragrance, surfaces, or sounds interact with consumer perception is crucial for the success of a product. Getting these elements right has the power to positively impact brand equity, demand a premium price, create memories, and establish a sensory signature that underlies long-term success in the market. Complimenting this with salience and a congruent total offer is the secret.”

    Kantar MD & chief client officer, South Asia, insights division Soumya Mohanty added, “Innovation requires continual, ongoing effort to ensure that your pipeline delivers the products that will create growth opportunities. Since 1998, Kantar BrandZ has consistently identified three qualities that are the hallmarks of the strongest brands- meaningful, different, and salient. With the launch of Sensory eValuate in India, brand owners will benefit from staying meaningfully different and ahead of the pack. With a 30-year history in sensory and technical innovation and a total of one million plus consumers surveyed across 90 markets, Kantar’s Sensory eValuate solution can revolutionise product development in India.”

  • Prabha Narasimhan to take over as Colgate-Palmolive CEO

    Prabha Narasimhan to take over as Colgate-Palmolive CEO

    Mumbai: Household and consumer products company Colgate-Palmolive India has announced the appointment of former HUL executive Prabha Narasimhan as its managing director and chief executive officer, effective from 1 September. Narasimhan takes over from Ram Raghavan, who is set to move to a global role.

    “The nomination and remuneration committee of the Board of Directors approved that effective 16th April, 2022, Ram Raghavan, managing director and CEO of the company has been promoted to president, enterprise oral care, for Colgate Palmolive Company. Raghavan will be based out of the company’s headquarters in New York,” the company said in a filing to the exchanges.

    Narasimhan is armed with over two decades of experience across consumer marketing insights, customer development and marketing roles in multiple geographies and across multiple categories including beauty, personal care, and refreshments.

    In her most recent role, she was associated with HUL as executive director – home care and Unilever South Asia as vice president – home care.

  • Palmolive India urges women to ‘Say Yes To You’ in new campaign

    Palmolive India urges women to ‘Say Yes To You’ in new campaign

    Mumbai: Palmolive, the personal care brand from the house of Colgate-Palmolive has announced the launch of its face washes and scrubs portfolio in India with a new campaign titled ‘Say Yes To You.’ Conceptualised by Red Fuse Communications – a WPP agency, the campaign aims to inspire women for ‘self-love.’

    “The campaign reiterates the brand’s core message that Indian women, who have been conditioned to prioritise everything and everyone but themselves, need to indulge more and make self-care a priority every day,” said the brand in a statement.

    The three ad film series features multitasking women; a working mother, a woman hosting people, and a working millennial’s day off, who settle for nothing but the best when it comes to their family and work responsibilities. The ad films showcase how amidst all the chaos that is their life, their moment of self-indulgence comes in the form of the brand’s new range of face products that offer them the care and pampering they deserve.

    The campaign films, produced by Fingerprint Films, depict a series of situations celebrating women luxuriating in their chosen moments of pause and normalises women prioritising themselves.

    “We saw a clear white space in the face cleansing segment. Current brands were speaking to the modern Indian woman as if she was just a skin type or a skin problem,” said Colgate-Palmolive (India) VP of marketing  Arvind Chintamani. “With this campaign, Palmolive speaks to women with a message and tonality that is authentic, real and purposive to what women are feeling today. We sincerely believe brands have a responsibility to communicate with purpose and products have a responsibility to deliver on the promises they make.”

    “Whilst our primary aim was to land the idea of women saying yes to themselves… it was equally important for us to ensure we were saying yes to women across all geographies, age groups and life stages… and saying yes to us in all our myriad shapes and colors and sizes,” stated Red Fuse (WPP integrated agency) executive creative director Delna Sethna. “This is not just a launch of a brand new beauty brand but a labor of love for the creative women who have been instrumental in shaping this narrative!”

  • Pepperfry names Piyush Agarwal as head of supply chain

    Pepperfry names Piyush Agarwal as head of supply chain

    Mumbai: Furniture and home products marketplace Pepperfry on Monday named Piyush Agarwal as the head of supply chain. His appointment is effective immediately and he will be based out of Pepperfry House, here.

    In his new role, Agarwal will be responsible for leading the next phase of growth in Pepperfry’s supply chain agenda across the country, said the company in a statement.

    “Piyush’s appointment is to further strengthen our capabilities and beef up our distribution as we look to significantly expand our reach going ahead and offer our services to more clients in the space,” stated Pepperfry co-founder and COO Ashish Shah.

    Agarwal has close to a decade-long experience in supply chain functions across various verticals like – materials, planning, operations, inventory management, warehousing, forecasting & transportation. Previously, he was associated with Colgate Palmolive where he was instrumental in leading large-scale warehousing projects. He is also an alumnus of NITIE where he pursued an MBA in supply chain.

    “Pepperfry has exhibited disruptive growth over the years and has displayed exceptional abilities in building a highly specialised supply chain for big boxes,” said Agarwal. “I am thrilled to join the team and look forward to making this domain the strongest pillar of growth going forward.”

  • Colgate Palmolive net profit for Q2 20 grew by 12.7%

    Colgate Palmolive net profit for Q2 20 grew by 12.7%

    New Delhi: Colgate-Palmolive (India) has reported net sales of Rs. 1,277.6 crore for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, an increase of 5.3 per cent over the same quarter of the previous year.

    Domestic net sales for the quarter reported 7.1 per cent growth. Reported net profit after tax for the quarter was Rs. 274.2 crore as against the net profit of Rs. 244.1 crore for the same quarter of the previous year. Excluding the one-time impact of tax rate change in the previous year, the net profit growth is 32 per cent.

    H1 2020-21: Net sales for the half year ended September 30, 2020 was recorded at Rs. 2,311.3 crore, an increase of one per cent over the same period of the previous year. Reported net profit for the same period was Rs. 472.4 crore, an increase of 14 per cent over the preceding period.

    Dividend: The board declared a first interim dividend for the financial year 2020-21 of Rs. 18 per share of Re 1 each (face value). The dividend pay out to the shareholders will be Rs. 489.6 crore and will be paid on and from 17 November 17 2020 to those shareholders whose names are on the Register of Members of the Company as on 22 November 2020.

    Colgate Palmolive MD Ram Raghavan says, “We are very pleased with our performance as we continue to see momentum strengthening across the portfolio with domestic revenue growing at 7.1 per cent this quarter. Our resilience and disciplined approach to managing all revenue and cost drivers, despite all the uncertainties and challenges around us drove improvements in key financial metrics with gross margins and EBITDA at 67.9 per cent and 32 per cent respectively.

    We are pleased that we were able to increase shareholder value while we continue to drive innovation that meets the needs of our consumers. All categories saw positive growth this quarter with toothpaste continuing its accelerated performance, driven by strong brand fundamentals and household penetration. The quarter also saw some exciting innovation. We launched Colgate Visible White Instant, with its unique optical brighteners technology that starts whitening from the first brushing itself.

    The new Colgate Gentle line of toothbrushes offers an effective yet gentle clean. Launched across price points, it offers solutions to different consumer preferences. We also relaunched our flagship toothbrush, Colgate Zig Zag, with unique anti-bacterial bristle technology.

    Another first from our stable, was the launch of our Colgate Vedshakti mouth spray. A pocket sized solution that offers instant germ kill with a refreshing minty saunf flavour, that consumers love.

    Our sharp focus aimed at fulfilling demand and ensuring uninterrupted access ensured agile and innovative approaches, specifically in our supply chain and distribution efforts. As an organisation we continue to live our values and remain unwavering in our focus to improve the health and well-being of our consumers. We are thankful to our customers, business partners and employees for their continued support.”