Colgate India names Manish Anandani as managing director

Mumbai: Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd. named Manish Anandani as managing director and chief executive officer, returning a former company executive to lead the oral-care maker as current CEO Prabha Narasimhan moves to a regional role at its parent.

Anandani will take over from Narasimhan on Sept. 28 for a five-year term, subject to shareholder and other statutory approvals, the company said in an exchange filing Friday. Narasimhan will step down at the close of business on Sept. 27 after being promoted to executive vice president—marketing for Colgate-Palmolive’s Asia-Pacific division.

Anandani brings three decades of experience across sales, marketing, general management and senior leadership. He joins Colgate India from Kenvue, where he was managing director for India and South Asia.


The appointment also marks a return to Colgate for Anandani, who joined the company in 2005 as a regional manager and held roles across India, Indochina and the corporate office before leaving in 2018. In his final Colgate role, he was worldwide director in the global customer development function, where he worked on retail marketing and shopper development capabilities.

Narasimhan, who has led Colgate-Palmolive India as managing director and CEO, will move into the Asia-Pacific marketing role as part of her promotion. In her resignation letter, she said she would also cease to be a director and leave several board committees when her tenure ends.

Anandani holds degrees in electronics and marketing, as well as an Executive MBA in leadership from the Tuck School of Business in the US.