Leading oral care products maker Colgate-Palmolive on Friday announced a leadership transition, with Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Prabha Narasimhan being elevated to a global role and appointed Manish Anandani as her successor.
Narasimhan, who has been at the helm of the India business for the last four years, will take over as Executive Vice President – Marketing, Asia-Pacific Division, Colgate-Palmolive, which will be effective from September 28, 2026, a company statement said.
The Board of Directors of Colgate-Palmolive India Ltd on Friday "approved the appointment of Manish Anandani as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the company for a period of five consecutive years effective September 28, 2026, in succession to Prabha Narasimhan," said a regulatory filing by the company.
1 August 2026
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Anandani's appointment shall be subject to the approval of shareholders of the company and other statutory approvals, it added.
He joined Colgate-Palmolive India from Kenvue (erstwhile Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health), where he was the Managing Director for India and South Asia.
Anandani has 30 years of experience across sales, marketing, general management and senior leadership roles. He had earlier spent 13 years with Colgate-Palmolive between 2005 and 2018, rising to the role of Worldwide Director in Global Customer Development, it said.
During Narasimhan's four-year tenure, the company reinforced its position as the market leader in oral care, with premium portfolio growth accelerating to five times the pace of the broader market, alongside volume-led growth and industry-leading profitability, the statement said.
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Her tenure also saw a pivot toward digital transformation and quick-commerce expansion, besides a push to drive oral hygiene habits across urban and rural India through initiatives such as Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures and the Oral Health Movement, it said.
Before joining Colgate-Palmolive India, Narasimhan held senior leadership roles at Hindustan Unilever, including as Executive Director for Home Care.
