Gunjit Jain, Executive Vice President, Marketing at Colgate-Palmolive (India), has resigned after more than 18 years with the company. His last day will be November 30, 2026.
The company said in a regulatory filing that Jain is leaving to pursue a professional growth opportunity outside Colgate-Palmolive. The Board of Directors has approved Akash Parekh, currently Senior Director, Marketing, Asia Pacific (APAC), as his successor, effective December 1, 2026.
An 18-year journey from trainee to marketing head
Jain has led marketing at Colgate-Palmolive India since February 2023. In that role, he has overseen business strategy, commercial planning, demand generation and marketing operations, leading a team of more than 200 professionals across marketing and professional B2B functions.
His tenure covered the company’s premiumisation strategy, brand-building initiatives and expansion across e-commerce and quick commerce.
Jain began his career with Colgate-Palmolive in June 2008 as a management trainee in India. He moved through sales, retail marketing and brand management, managed the toothbrush portfolio as Senior Brand Manager, Oral Care between 2011 and 2014, and then took regional assignments across Southeast Asia. He later led home care and personal care for Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
In 2018, Jain moved to the global marketing function in New York as Associate Director, Global Marketing Oral Care. There he worked on the global relaunch of Colgate Total and international expansion plans for brands including Tom’s of Maine and Hello.
“I am extremely grateful to the Company for an incredible tenure of over 18 years,” Jain wrote in his resignation letter.
Why the successor choice matters
Parekh’s appointment signals continuity. He has been associated with Colgate-Palmolive since 2009 and brings around two decades of experience in consumer marketing, brand strategy, commercial execution and market expansion.
In his current position as Senior Director, Marketing, APAC, he leads regional marketing strategies for the division. Before Colgate-Palmolive, Parekh began his career at Nielsen in 2006. He holds an MBA in Marketing from the Mumbai Educational Trust and completed the Global Leadership Development Program at Stanford University.
What the transition tells us:
- The company chose an internal leader rather than an outsider, which usually protects brand and agency momentum.
- Succession was announced before the departure date, giving the new leader a defined transition window.
- The incoming marketer brings an India, North America and APAC mix, matching Colgate-Palmolive’s regional footprint.
What marketers can take away
For marketing professionals, Jain’s path shows how cross-functional and cross-market rotations can build the breadth needed for a top marketing role. For organisations, an internal bench can turn a senior exit into a story of continuity rather than disruption.
The detail to watch is whether Parekh accelerates the e-commerce and quick-commerce bets that Jain had been driving, and how Colgate-Palmolive India’s oral care premiumisation push evolves after December.
Source: BMI Publications Private Limited
