Mumbai-born Shailesh Jejurikar made history on Tuesday when he was appointed the first Indian-origin president and CEO of Procter & Gamble (P&G) in its 187-year existence. Jejurikar, 58, currently the chief operating officer at P&G, will succeed incumbent Jon Moeller, effective January 1, 2026. P&G has also nominated Jejurikar for election to the director’s post at the annual shareholder meeting in October.
Moeller will become executive chairman as part of the top-level rejig, the company said, as the maker of Tide detergent and Pantene shampoo battles slowdown concerns across the globe.
A global career rooted in India
India contributes about 2.5% to its global revenue, which pales in comparison to rival Hindustan Unilever (HUL), which contributes about 12% to parent Unilever’s global revenue.
A P&G veteran of 36 years, who began as an assistant brand manager at P&G India, he rose rapidly through the ranks. He has had close ties with the Indian operations throughout his nearly four-decade journey with the company. An IIM Lucknow alumnus, who did his schooling in Hyderabad and undergraduate studies (BA in Economics) from Elphinstone College in Mumbai, Jejurikar joins the growing league of Indian-origin executives to lead top companies across the world.
Like HUL, P&G India has been a top exporter of talent to international markets, with over 350 Indian executives placed in roles across the world.
“Shailesh has been an integral part of P&G’s leadership team with substantial contributions across multiple businesses and in both developed and developing regions, notably in fabric care and home care and most recently in P&G’s enterprise markets. He has consistently delivered strong results in the businesses and markets he has led. A strong plan is in place for sustained success and now is the time to transition to Shailesh as CEO,” said Joe Jimenez, lead director of P&G’s board while announcing the leadership change. P&G has operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide.
India remains a tough but key market
Jejurikar’s tenure as CEO is likely to be keenly tracked in India, said experts, given that P&G remains a laggard when compared to HUL in the country, with sales crossing Rs 16,000 crore ($2 billion) in FY24, more than three decades after entering the domestic market. HUL has sales in excess of Rs 60,000 crore and is Unilever’s second-largest market after the US.
In April, P&G cut its annual earnings outlook, citing rapid changes to US tariff policy amid weakening consumer sentiment. In June, the company said that it would eliminate approximately 7,000 non-manufacturing positions, impacting 15% of its white-collar workforce, over the next two years. It also plans to exit certain product categories, along with pausing sales of some brands and select brand divestitures.
P&G India remains among the parent’s top 10 core markets, its India management said in the investor call last month, highlighting that they were taking a “cautiously optimistic” approach to the market here as the government and central bank put monetary and fiscal policy measures to lift urban demand.
“We continue to hold a cautiously optimistic outlook for the future. With steady government and private investment as well as economic indicators of tax collections and foreign reserves continuing to be healthy, there are reasons to be optimistic,” P&G Hygiene and Healthcare CFO Mrinalini Srinivasan said.
P&G Hygiene and Healthcare (PGHH) is among four units that P&G operates in India, the others being Gillette India and unlisted P&G Home Products as well as pharmaceutical arm P&G Health.
Both PGHH and Gillette India have seen mid-single-digit sales growth in the last 10 years, their CFOs said. Profit growth, meanwhile, has varied, with PGHH seeing about 8% bottom-line growth while Gillette India posting 19% profit growth in the last decade. P&G also controls more than half the market for Whisper, Vicks and Gillette (razors), having consistently gained market share in these segments over the years, experts added.
