Colgate-Palmolive India is set for a leadership change, with managing director and chief executive Prabha Narasimhan moving to a regional marketing role and former Colgate executive Manish Anandani returning to take charge of the company.
The rejig comes as the oral and personal care maker seeks to strengthen its business performance after a sharp correction in its stock from its record high two years ago.
Colgate-Palmolive India said on Friday that Narasimhan will step down as MD & CEO on 27 September, a year prior to the end of her tenure, and transition to the role of executive vice-president—marketing, Asia Pacific, at parent Colgate-Palmolive. Anandani will take over as MD & CEO for a five-year term beginning 28 September.
Homecoming for Anandani
The appointment marks a homecoming for Anandani, who has previously spent more than a decade at Colgate-Palmolive. He joined the company in 2005 as a regional manager and subsequently held several positions across India, Indochina and the company’s corporate office. He left Colgate in 2018, after serving as worldwide director in the global customer development function.
Anandani joins from Kenvue, formerly Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, where he was managing director for India and South Asia. His experience across consumer businesses, along with his earlier stint at Colgate, could give him a relatively short learning curve as he takes charge of the company, sector analysts said.
For Colgate-Palmolive India, the leadership transition comes against a backdrop of a significant change in investor sentiment towards the stock. Shares had climbed to a record Rs 3,893 in October 3, 2024 before undergoing a steep correction. The stock is currently about 51% below that peak.
The shares were trading at around Rs 1,889 apiece on the BSE on Friday afternoon, down 0.62% versus the previous day’s close and about 9% down so far this year.
Financial Track Record
Narasimhan had taken over as MD & CEO on 1 September 2022. During her tenure, Colgate-Palmolive India’s revenue grew 4.91% on a three-year CAGR basis; net profit grew 8.33% and share price grew 5.87% over the same period.
Her move to the Asia-Pacific marketing role also signals that the parent company intends to leverage her India-market experience at a broader regional level. For Colgate-Palmolive India, meanwhile, Anandani’s return could bring a combination of institutional familiarity and experience gained outside the company, sector experts said.
The new CEO holds a degree in electronics, an MBA in marketing and an executive MBA in leadership from the Turk School of Business in the US.
For investors, the immediate focus is likely to shift to whether the new leadership can translate Anandani’s consumer-sector experience into stronger execution in India. The company’s ability to drive volume growth, defend market share and navigate competition in oral and personal care will remain key factors in determining whether the leadership transition can support a recovery in business momentum and, eventually, the stock’s valuation.