Exactly a year ago, Mumbai-born Shailesh Jejurikar made history when he was appointed as the first Indian-origin president and CEO at Procter & Gamble (P&G). On Wednesday, Jejurikar, 59, was elevated as chairman of the board in addition to his current role as president and CEO, effective August 1, completing the leadership transition at the firm.
Jejurikar takes over from Jon Moeller who retires as executive chairman of the board on July 31. Moeller will retire from the company on August 14.
“I want to thank Jon for his many years of tireless and steady leadership at P&G, having served in key roles including Executive Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer throughout his 38 years of dedicated service to the company,” Jejurikar said in a statement on Wednesday.
More importantly, Jejurikar’s elevation comes at a time when rival Unilever is doubling down on India, describing the market, its second-largest, as a key contributor to its long-term growth ambitions. India contributes about 2.5% to P&G’s global revenue, which pales in comparison to rival Hindustan Unilever (HUL), which contributes over 12% to parent Unilever’s global revenue.
Unilever’s CEO Fernando Fernandez on Tuesday said the company’s next decade belonged to India with plans to aggressively invest in the country. Jejurikar’s tenure as chairman, president and CEO of P&G will be keenly tracked by analysts as India has remained a tough, but key market for the company.
A P&G veteran of 36 years, who began as an assistant brand manager at P&G India, Jejurikar 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. He is the brother of Rajesh Jejurikar, executive director and CEO of the Auto and Farm Sector division at Mahindra Group.
Career Journey
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.
The maker of Tide detergents, Pantene shampoos and Whisper hygiene products crossed sales of Rs 16,000 crore ($2 billion) in FY24, more than three decades after entering the domestic market. Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Unilever’s subsidiary in India, has sales in excess of Rs 60,000 crore. P&G has four units in India, including Procter & Gamble Hygiene and Healthcare (PGHH) and Gillette India (GI), both listed companies, as well as unlisted P&G Home Products and pharmaceutical arm P&G Health.
In FY26, PGHH delivered a “mixed bag” in terms of results, seeing flat growth in sales to Rs 4,300 crore and a 19% year-on-year jump in net profit to Rs 850 crore. Gillette India, on the other hand, delivered an 8% year-on-year topline growth in FY26 to Rs 3,100 crore and net profit growth of 23% versus FY25 to Rs 650 crore.