Talent Tracker: Leadership moves at Wipro, L’Oréal, Arvind, and more

New Delhi: This week saw several major leadership changes across industries, including FMCG, consumer tech, media, and edtech. Companies like William Grant & Sons, L'Oréal, Wipro Consumer, and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages announced important appointments, with senior roles changing hands. There were also updates from organisations such as PhonePe, InMobi, PhysicsWallah, and BCCL, covering positions in marketing, strategy, public policy, and revenue. 

Here’s a round-up of the key talent movements.

Kartik Mohindra appointed as Managing Director, William Grant & Sons India

William Grant & Sons has named Kartik Mohindra as Managing Director for its India operations, effective September 30. He succeeds Sachin Mehta, who will transition to an international role as Managing Director for Canada.

Mohindra was previously Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Global Business Development at Pernod Ricard India, bringing over 26 years of experience across marketing and sales in the alco-bev and FMCG sectors.

L'Oréal names Jacques Lebel as India Country Manager; Aseem Kaushik to become Chairman

L'Oréal has announced the appointment of Jacques Lebel as Country Manager for India, effective October 1, 2025. He succeeds Aseem Kaushik, who will move into the role of Chairman.

Lebel was previously General Manager of L'Oréal’s consumer products division in Mexico and has held senior roles at Procter & Gamble and AB InBev across multiple global markets.

Kaushik, who has led L'Oréal India for over two decades, will focus on public affairs, stakeholder engagement and CSR initiatives in his new role.

Wipro Consumer CEO Vineet Agrawal to retire in Jan 2026; Kumar Chander to take over

Wipro Consumer Care and Lighting has announced that Vineet Agrawal, CEO and Managing Director of Wipro Enterprises, will retire in January 2026 after a four-decade tenure. He will be succeeded by Kumar Chander, currently President – Southeast Asia and Yardley India, effective February 1, 2026.

Agrawal, who took charge of the consumer business in 2002, led the company’s expansion from a domestic soap and lighting business to a multinational operation across 60 countries and multiple categories. He oversaw 15 acquisitions and played a key role in building brands such as Santoor.

Chander has been with the company for 34 years and has held leadership roles in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. He will work alongside Agrawal from October 2025 to facilitate the transition and will be based in Bengaluru.

Hemant Rupani to take over as CEO of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages (HCCB), the bottling arm of the Coca-Cola Company in India, has named Hemant Rupani as its next Chief Executive Officer, effective September 8, 2025.

Rupani, currently Business Unit President for Southeast Asia at Mondelez International, will succeed Juan Pablo Rodriguez, who is set to move to a new role within the Coca-Cola system. In his previous role, Rupani oversaw operations across Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

Rupani has held leadership positions at PepsiCo, Vodafone, Britannia, and Infosys, in addition to Mondelez. His career began in 1997 at ICI India.Rupani will report to the board of directors at HCCB.

Arvind Fashion appoints Amisha Jain as MD & CEO; Shailesh Chaturvedi's tenure to end

Arvind Fashions has named Amisha Jain as its next Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. She will assume the role for a five-year term beginning August 13, 2025, following the scheduled conclusion of Shailesh Chaturvedi’s tenure on January 31, 2026.

Jain, an INSEAD graduate, brings over 25 years of experience spanning the retail, consumer, and technology sectors. Most recently, she led Levi Strauss’s operations across South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Eastern Europe. She has previously served as CEO of Zivame and held leadership roles at Arvind Group, Nike India, Motorola, and McKinsey.

Satish Sharma joins PhysicsWallah as Chief Marketing Officer

PhysicsWallah has appointed Satish Sharma as its Chief Marketing Officer. He will lead brand and marketing functions as the edtech firm expands into education, skilling, and overseas learning segments.

Sharma has over 20 years of experience spanning entrepreneurship, digital transformation, and marketing. Prior to this, he was Co-founder, COO, and CMO at Unyscape. An IIT Varanasi alumnus, he has held roles at IBM and Tata Steel, working on technology and operations mandates.

Bharat Petroleum appoints Subhankar Sen as Director, Marketing

Bharat Petroleum Corporation has named Subhankar Sen as its new Director (Marketing). Sen, who has been with the organisation for over three decades, has held various leadership roles across retail and lubricants.

As Business Head, Retail (West), he oversaw modernisation efforts at fuel stations and introduced non-fuel retail formats. He also led the expansion of BPCL’s lubricants portfolio in domestic and international markets. Sen was previously the oil industry coordinator and contributed to clean mobility initiatives.

Anupam Tripathi steps down as GM Marketing and Head of Media at Lenskart

Anupam Tripathi has exited Lenskart after five years as General Manager, Marketing and Head of Media. He joined the eyewear brand in 2020, following earlier roles at Dentsu X, VSell Solutions, and Kotak Mahindra Bank.

In a LinkedIn post, Tripathi reflected on the professional and collaborative experiences during his tenure, noting both the challenges and milestones achieved with the team.

Gaurav Rajput joins BCCL as Chief Marketing Officer

Bennett, Coleman and Company Ltd. (BCCL) has appointed Gaurav Rajput as Chief Marketing Officer. He will lead brand and marketing strategy across the company’s portfolio, including The Times of India.

Rajput brings nearly three decades of experience across markets in India, Southeast Asia, and the UK. He was previously with Standard Chartered Bank, where he led global marketing for the corporate and investment banking division. His past roles also include CMO at IDFC Bank and senior leadership positions at Cigna TTK Health Insurance.

Gaurav Jain takes charge as APAC Revenue Head at InMobi

InMobi has appointed Gaurav Jain as Head of Revenue for the Asia Pacific region. Jain brings nearly 20 years of experience across platforms including Google, Meta, Snapchat, Nvidia and ShareChat.

He was most recently Chief Business Officer at ShareChat, where he led monetisation, partnerships, and strategy. Prior roles include heading APAC business expansion for Snapchat and leading Meta India's mid-market business. Jain began his career in financial services before moving into digital leadership roles across the region.

Shivnath Thukral joins PhonePe as VP, Public Policy and Government Affairs

Shivnath Thukral has joined PhonePe as Vice President for Public Policy and Government Affairs. He will lead the company’s engagement with regulators and policymakers and support broader public affairs strategy.

Thukral was previously Vice President of Public Policy at Meta, where he worked on regulatory issues across technology and financial inclusion. He has also been active in policy forums including BIF, USISPF, and PAFI.

Rohit Shaw joins Havas Media Network as Senior Vice President

Rohit Shaw has joined Havas Media Network as Senior Vice President. He will work within Arena Media to lead agency partnerships and client relationships.

Shaw returns to Havas after earlier serving as Strategic Client Lead between 2022 and 2024. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President at Bharat Media & Entertainment Group. His previous roles span Dabur India, Jubilant FoodWorks, GroupM, and Dentsu, with experience across FMCG, telecom, digital, and media sectors.

Roch D’Souza joins Signpost India as Chief Strategy Officer

Signpost India has appointed Roch D’Souza as Chief Strategy Officer, a newly created role aimed at driving long-term growth and business transformation at the DOOH media technology company.

D’Souza brings over 23 years of experience across retail, media, digital, and consumer sectors. He will report to Managing Director Shripad Ashtekar and will lead strategy, innovation, and growth initiatives as the company expands its tech-led media ecosystem.