P&G India names Kumar Venkatasubramanian as new CEO

Procter & Gamble India announced today that Mr. Kumar  Venkatasubramanian will take over as the Chief Executive Officer for its operations in India from  May 1, 2024. Kumar is an alumnus of IIM Calcutta and started his journey with P&G in the sales team in India, straight from campus in 2000. He has almost 24 years of experience, majority of it in India across different roles in the Sales function. He is currently leading the P&G business in Australia and  New Zealand as CEO where he has been responsible for steering the team to deliver record metrics,  driven by category growth and strong retailer partnerships. Prior to the Australia role, Kumar was leading the Sales Team in P&G India until 2020.  

Mr. Venkatasubramanian is a passionate advocate for Equality and Inclusion, and under his leadership, many programs were expanded to have significant impact on employees and community. This included P&G ANZ’s largest-ever corporate partnership with the Sydney Gay and  Lesbian Mardi Gras.  

Kumar will take over from Mr. LV Vaidyanathan, who will leave the company to pursue other interests after 28 years of service to P&G. Under his leadership, P&G India has made strides of progress on the journey of bringing in superior propositions for the Indian consumers and delivered consistent balanced growth of the top and bottom line. In his time, the company has also stepped-up on efforts across the key areas of Citizenship – Community Impact, Equality and Inclusion, and  Environmental Sustainability.  

Quote from Mr. Stanislav Vecera, P&G President, Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa:  “I want to thank LV for his outstanding leadership of the India organization, and his service to P&G  for nearly 3 decades. I wish him all the best for his future endeavors. 

I am thrilled with Kumar Venkatasubramanian’s appointment as the India CEO, who has been an integral part of the P&G India growth story for well over two decades. Kumar is no stranger to the Indian organization, having spent many years building and executing our business strategies here.  The Indian business and people will immensely benefit from his leadership and vision, and  collectively I am certain they will take the Indian business to new heights while maintaining a  balanced growth outlook.” 

Quote from LV Vaidyanathan: 

“It has been a great honor and privilege to lead our business in India. The journey has been incredibly fulfilling. I am so proud of every P&G employee for demonstrating commitment and passion to serve our consumers, customers, and stakeholders, and for the results we collectively achieved. I am confident in the continued success of the company and the people.” 

Quote from Kumar Venkatasubramanian: 

“It is a moment of great pride for me to come back to India and spearhead the P&G business in the country. I look forward to being back in the market, learning more about Indian consumers, and serving their needs. The India organization is on momentum, delivering consistent results and balanced top and bottom-line growth. It will be important for us to remain focused on our integrated growth strategy, as I believe it is the right strategy for us to deliver sustained outcomes.  We will focus on a portfolio of daily-use products where performance drives brand choice and raise the bar on all aspects of our superiority strategy– product, package, brand communication, retail execution, and value. We aim to lead constructive disruption in the industry across the value chain.  I believe that our agile, empowered, and accountable organization will be at the heart of our growth. I look forward to working with our incredibly talented team in India once again and  playing a part in the India growth story.” 

Additional information on Kumar Venkatasubramanian: 

Educational Qualifications: MBA, Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta | BE, National Institute  of Technology, Durgapur 

Age: 48 years 

Kumar Venkatasubramanian started his career with P&G in India in 2000 as a new hire in the Sales function from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and worked in various sales leadership roles across India. In his 23+ years career, Kumar has led complex categories across some of the world’s largest markets including India, Brazil, and Australia. Kumar rose the ranks in P&G India as 

he managed partnerships with various distributor operations and key customers. Until 2020, for a  few years, Kumar led the P&G India Sales function and the Oral Care category. In 2020, Kumar was elevated to the role of CEO – P&G Australia and New Zealand where he has delivered record business performance through strong category growth.  

Over the years, Kumar has led large and diverse teams, with extensive leadership experience to complement his strong business acumen.