P&G names Indian born Shailesh Jejurikar as its global CEO

Mumbai-born Shailesh Jejurikar will take over as chief executive officer at Procter & Gamble (P&G) in January 2026, joining the growing league of Indians at the helm of global multinationals at a time when the maker of Pantene and Tide is struggling to navigate slowing sales, changing trade policies, and global economic headwinds.

Jejurikar, 58 years old, currently serves as the chief operating officer of the company and will be the first Indian and Asian to head P&G in its 187 year old history.

The world’s biggest consumer goods maker on Tuesday said its current CEO Jon R Moeller will become executive chairman, four years after taking the corner office. P&G have been flagging weak underlying consumption in the US and Europe, as well as China and other regions due to the Middle East conflict, with no visibility on the timeline of recovery in the interim.


In April, P&G slashed its annual core earnings outlook, as the consumer goods giant flags the impact from rapid changes to US tariff policy amid weakening consumer sentiment. As part of P&G's two year restructuring plan, P&G plans to cut about 7,000 jobs, reorganise its supply chain and exit certain brands and markets.

“Shailesh has been an integral part of P&G's leadership team with substantial contributions across multiple businesses and in both developed and developing regions, notably in fabric care and home care and most recently in P&G’s enterprise markets. He has consistently delivered strong results in the businesses and markets he has led. Shailesh is an outstanding leader, and the company will benefit from his ongoing leadership to build on the strong foundation he has helped create,” Joe Jimenez, Lead Director of P&G’s Board, said.

The elevation of Indian executives, many with stints in the local unit, reflects the increasing importance of the country for multinationals as markets in the West hit a plateau. India particularly is an important destination for these companies, given its prime demographics and faster population growth. Jejurikar joins over two dozen Indian-origin global CEOs including Leena Nair (Chanel), Sundar Pichai (Google), Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Arvind Krishna (IBM) and Shantanu Narayen (Adobe).

P&G’s board has also nominated Jejurikar as a director at the upcoming annual shareholder meeting in October 2025.

“I am honored to serve as P&G’s CEO,” said Jejurikar. “P&G people, our brands, and our capabilities in innovation and operational excellence fuel my confidence for a future of sustained growth and value creation.”

The Cincinnati-based consumer goods maker counts India as among its top 10 markets globally. The US-based firm crossed the $2 billion sales mark in India in FY24 ended March, more than three decades after entering the country.

“If we project the population and the economic growth, it is only going to get better. And India will be a larger market and is going to organically grow dramatically,” Jejurikar had told ET in an earlier interview in 2023.

Jejurikar, the first COO at P&G, graduated in economics from the Mumbai University in 1987 and completed his post graduation from IIM Lucknow in 1989. He joined P&G in India from campus as assistant brand manager, personal healthcare and has worked across many roles across the globe over the past three decades.

Throughout his 36-year stint at P&G, Jejurikar has continued to have ties with the Indian business - from his role as the chief executive of global fabric and home care, P&G’s largest business, or in his most recent role as COO where he was responsible for P&G’s global enterprise markets, which includes P&L responsibility for many markets around the world, including India.

India has been a talent factory for P&G globally and one of the largest exporters of top talent to the parent globally. The maker of Tide detergent and Pantene shampoo has over 350 Indian expats in roles across the company.