Colgate-Palmolive India Announces Leadership Transition as Prabha Narasimhan Moves to Global Role
Colgate-Palmolive India is set for a leadership transition, with MD & CEO Prabha Narasimhan stepping down from her current role effective September 27, 2026, to take up a global position as Executive Vice President – Marketing for the company’s Asia Pacific division. She had taken charge as MD & CEO on September 1, 2022, and during her tenure, the company’s shares gained around 14% over the last four years, although the stock has since corrected sharply from its record high of ₹3,893 reached in October 2024 and is currently around 51% below that peak. Manish Anandani, currently Managing Director for India and South Asia at Kenvue, the erstwhile Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health business, has been appointed as the new MD & CEO for a five-year term, subject to shareholder approval. Anandani brings prior experience with Colgate-Palmolive, having joined the company in 2005 as a regional manager and worked across various roles in India and the Indochina region before leaving in 2018 as Worldwide Director in Global Customer Development. He holds a degree in Electronics, an MBD in Marketing and an Executive MBA in Leadership from the Turk School of Business, USA. In early trade on August 21, 2026, Colgate-Palmolive India shares were trading 0.75% lower at ₹1,895.7 and have declined around 10% so far in 2026. From a research perspective, the leadership change marks an important transition for the company, while Anandani’s previous experience with Colgate-Palmolive and his recent leadership role at Kenvue could support continuity as the company moves into its next phase.