The year 2024 has marked a period of significant transitions in the marketing leadership landscape, with major brands appointing fresh Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) while bidding adieu to experienced executives. These leadership changes reflect the evolving needs of businesses as they navigate a fast-paced market environment, driven by digital transformation, shifts in consumer behavior, and efforts to reposition brands for future growth. From global giants to regional players, these moves are set to reshape marketing strategies and drive innovation in the years to come.
Here’s a look at the key marketing leadership changes from 2024:
Pidilite’s Sandeep Tanwani took over as CMO, Manish Dubey named CBO – Fevicol
Pidilite Industries appointed Sandeep Tanwani as its new Chief Marketing Officer, succeeding Manish Dubey who became chief business officer – Fevicol. Tanwani, with over 25 years of experience, previously held senior roles at Unilever, where he spearheaded the transformation of the Professional & Homecare business in South Asia.
Maruti appointed Partho Banerjee as head of sales and marketing
Maruti Suzuki overhauled its executive team in a strategic move. Partho Banerjee became Head – Marketing and Sales. Shashank Srivastava was transferred from the position of Head – Marketing and Sales to ‘Member Executive Committee’
Sandeep Sangwan appointed as Global CMO for Castrol
Former Castrol India MD Sandeep Sangwan is now leading global marketing, as Michelle Jou welcomes successor Kedar Lele for India operations.
Bhawna Sikka joined Adidas India as CMO
Bhawna Sikka joined the sportswear major Adidas from Haleon. Bhawna Sikka, who was the category lead – Oral Healthcare, Haleon India (formerly GSK Consumer Healthcare), joined sportswear major Adidas as chief marketing officer. Sikka took over the role which was held by Sunil Gupta who left to join Delhi Capitals as chief executive officer.
Sikka began her career at Nestle, where she held several key roles. As the senior brand manager – healthcare nutrition, Sikka was responsible for complete alignment of marketing strategies and products of Nestlé’s acquired health care nutrition portfolio. The portfolio acquired from Novartis Nutrition globally was integrated in India in 2010. Sikka has led work for assimilation of the range in Nestlé and a complete business and communication relaunch in 2012.
Tata Motors PVs CMO Vinay Pant moved on
Vinay Pant, who served as the Chief Marketing Officer for Tata Motors’ passenger vehicle division, has parted ways with the company after two years. Pant’s career in the automotive sector spans several decades, including his impactful tenure at Maruti Suzuki and Hero MotoCorp.
In the rapidly evolving world of India’s electric vehicle market, Ola Electric is experiencing significant leadership changes while simultaneously pursuing an ambitious retail expansion. Anshul Khandelwal, the company’s Chief Marketing Officer, resigned, marking the second high-profile departure in recent months following Chief Technology Officer Suvonil Chatterjee’s exit. Both departures come in the wake of a major corporate reorganization at the electric vehicle manufacturer. Khandelwal, who joined Ola’s ecosystem in 2019 through Foodpanda, had risen through the ranks, transitioning from his role as Head of Marketing at Ola Foods to become the electric vehicle division’s CMO. Ola had acquired Foodpanda in 2020.
Jaya Jamrani joins Castrol’s global marketing team after a year-long sabbatical
Jaya Jamrani has joined Castrol again as its VP – Global Marketing (Cars). Her first stint at Castrol lasted 15 years and in her last role she was heading marketing for the global major’s India market as CMO.
Motilal Oswal appointed Sandeep Walunj as Group CMO
Motilal Oswal Financial Services has appointed Sandeep Walunj as Group Chief Marketing Officer. With over 20 years of experience, Walunj previously served as Head of Enhancing Relationship Value at Nippon India Mutual Fund and has held key roles at PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser, Wipro Consumer Care, and more.
Ranjita Ghosh to be Wipro’s global CMO
Effective February 1, 2025, Ranjita Ghosh will spearhead Wipro’s worldwide marketing operations, shaping its brand and driving global growth.
Hasbro’s Lalit Parmar took on a global role
Lalit Parmar, who has been at the helm of Hasbro India as Country Manager, was promoted to Country Manager for the Pacific region. This role will see Parmar overseeing Hasbro’s toys and games business in Australia and the Pacific, with P&L responsibilities. Parmar’s journey at Hasbro began in 2017 as Head of Marketing, and his leadership has been pivotal in expanding the brand’s footprint across India and the MENA region.
VLCC’s Puneet Gulati joins Sleepwell as CMO
Puneet Gulati, who led VLCC as chief marketing officer, has joined Sleepwell as CMO. Gulati began his career as sales manager at Colgate-Palmolive, and then joined Marketics as analytics consultant. He later joined GSK Consumer Healthcare India as marketing manager where he was elevated to the position of global marketing manager.
Former Nestle exec Gaurav Kwatra joins iD Fresh as CMO
Gaurav Kwatra will be responsible for iD Fresh’s marketing and brand building strategies, will accelerate market expansion, and drive customer engagement. He takes over from Rahul Gandhi who quit the homegrown foods major.
Ashwath Swaminathan quit Swiggy within a year
Ashwath Swaminathan, who led online food ordering and delivery company Swiggy as chief growth and marketing officer, resigned from the IPO-bound company in September. A former HUL executive, Swaminathan took up the job at Swiggy in January this year, leaving within a year of assuming the role. The CGMO role was a new one for Swiggy and was created after previous department heads quit the Bengaluru-based company.
Zydus Wellness appoints Arijit Sengupta as CMO
Previously, Arijit Sengupta led Reckitt as global marketing head – digital startup.
Gaurav Mehta departed from Noise
Gaurav Mehta, who led marketing at Noise since March 2023, parted ways with the brand. Mehta’s leadership was central to strengthening Noise’s market position and driving growth during his tenure, positioning the brand as a prominent player in the connected tech space.
Bajaj Auto’s Head of Marketing Deepika Warrier quit; Sumeet Narang elevated to President – Marketing
Deepika Warrier, who had joined Bajaj Auto in August 2023 as head of marketing left the firm. Sumeet Narang, who led Bajaj Auto as president and BU head – probiking, has been been elevated to the position of president – marketing.
Anuj Bansal, who previously led category development for ITC’s food business, was promoted to Head of Marketing for chocolates, confectionery, coffee, and new business. Bansal’s vast experience spans roles at Tata Consultancy Services, EY, Coca-Cola, and Aditya Birla Group.
Volkswagen named Susanne Franz as Global CMO
Volkswagen has promoted Susanne Franz to the position of Global Chief Marketing Officer, following the departure of Nelly Kennedy. Franz, who led global marketing for Audi, will now oversee the marketing strategy for Volkswagen’s passenger car division, focusing on enhancing customer experience globally.
OpenAI appointed its first CMO, Kate Rouch
OpenAI has appointed Kate Rouch, the former CMO of Coinbase, as its first-ever Chief Marketing Officer. With a rich background that includes over a decade at Meta, where she led global brand and product marketing, Rouch will play a pivotal role in shaping OpenAI’s marketing strategy, particularly as the company explores new growth avenues such as advertising.
Deepika Deepti took over as Head of Marketing at Bata India
Bata India has appointed Deepika Deepti as Head of Marketing. Deepti, who has a rich history in brand development, previously led key marketing initiatives at adidas, CAMP SMA, and Metro Brands. Her appointment comes as Bata seeks to elevate its position in the fashion and lifestyle space.
Apurva Sircar joined Leander Paes’s Flying Man Ventures as CEO
Apurva Sircar previously led Bandhan Bank as senior vice president and head of marketing.
MobiKwik appoints Jaskaran Singh Kapany as CMO
Jaskaran Singh Kapany began his career as a senior account director at JWT and then joined ICICI Prudential Life Insurance as vice president – marketing and e-commerce. Then, he joined Paytm as head of marketing where he was responsible for making Paytm one of the most trusted household names in India.
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