Colgate-Palmolive India appoints Manish Anandani as MD & CEO, Prabha Narasimhan moves to APAC role

Colgate-Palmolive India on Friday announced a leadership transition, with managing director and chief executive officer Prabha Narasimhan elevated to executive vice president – Marketing, Asia-Pacific Division, while Manish Anandani will take over as the company's new MD and CEO from September 28, 2026.

Narasimhan will step down from her India leadership role at the close of business on September 27 and move to the broader Asia-Pacific mandate. The transition comes as Colgate-Palmolive India seeks to build on its premiumisation strategy and strengthen higher-value growth in the oral-care market.

Anandani returns to Colgate

Anandani brings 30 years of experience across sales, marketing, general management and senior leadership roles. He joins Colgate-Palmolive India from Kenvue, formerly Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health, where he served as managing director for India and South Asia.

His appointment also marks a return to Colgate-Palmolive. Anandani spent 13 years with the company between 2005 and 2018, holding leadership roles across India, Indochina and the corporate office before becoming Worldwide Director in Global Customer Development.

Colgate said Anandani's experience in enterprise strategy, digital and e-commerce transformation and market expansion would support the company's next phase of growth.

Narasimhan’s four-year tenure

Narasimhan has led Colgate-Palmolive India for four years, during which the company sharpened its focus on premium products, digital transformation, quick commerce and oral-care category expansion.

“During Prabha Narasimhan’s four-year tenure at the helm of Colgate-Palmolive India, she steered the company through a transformative growth journey, reinforcing its position as the market leader in oral care,” the company said.

It added that under her leadership, Colgate accelerated premium portfolio growth to five times the pace of the broader market, while delivering volume-led growth, profitability and consistent top-line momentum.

Premiumisation, quick commerce remain key

Colgate-Palmolive India said premiumisation, category development and operational efficiencies would remain central to its growth strategy as it marks 90 years of operations in India.

The company's e-commerce channel has been delivering high double-digit topline growth, with more than 50% of sales coming from premium products. It said gross margins in the channel are around 400 basis points higher than the company's overall average.

The company said its investments in digital and quick commerce have supported growth, margins, premiumisation and market-share gains as Indian consumers increasingly adopt rapid-delivery platforms.

The leadership change comes as Colgate seeks to build on these gains, with Anandani's experience across traditional consumer businesses and digital commerce set to shape the company's next phase in India.