Talent tracker of the week: Top leadership movements across industries

New Delhi: Corporate India and global networks have witnessed a fresh round of senior leadership movements, with companies across FMCG, advertising, media, technology and aviation announcing key appointments and elevations. From chief executive transitions and expanded global mandates to strategic hires in communications, creative and digital roles, organisations are reshaping their leadership benches to support growth and transformation. Several moves signal succession planning at the top, while others reflect sharper focus on digital business, global partnerships and regional expansion.

Dabur names Herjit S Bhalla as India CEO; Mohit Malhotra as Global CEO

Dabur India has appointed Herjit S Bhalla as Chief Executive Officer – India Business, effective April 15, 2026. He joins from The Hershey Company, where he most recently served as VP Canada & Global Customers.

The company has elevated incumbent CEO Mohit Malhotra as Whole Time Director & Global CEO with immediate effect. Bhalla will report to Malhotra. He brings over 25 years of commercial and general management experience across multiple geographies.

Takeshi Sano to replace Hiroshi Igarashi as Dentsu’s new global CEO

Dentsu Group Inc. has announced that Takeshi Sano will assume the role of Executive Officer, President and Global CEO following the company’s 177th Ordinary General Meeting of Shareholders on March 27, 2026, succeeding Hiroshi Igarashi. The leadership change is part of a broader management restructuring aimed at accelerating transformation and strengthening competitiveness. Yoshimasa Watahiki will step up as Executive Vice President and dentsu Japan COO, while Arinobu Soga will exit. Shigeki Endo will become Director and Global CFO from March 27. The reshuffle also includes Chisato Matsumoto’s appointment as President and CEO of Dentsu Inc.

Marico appoints Ankit Porwal as CEO, Beauty & Styling, Digital Business

Marico has appointed Ankit Porwal as CEO, Beauty & Styling, Digital Business, following the resignation of Akash Banerji. Banerji, EVP and Head, Digital Transformation and Beauty & Styling, Digital Business, will step down on May 31, 2026.

Porwal joins from L'Oréal, where he spent over 13 years in leadership roles, most recently as Regional Director and GM, E-Commerce and Marketing Transformation for SAPMENA. He has also worked with Colgate-Palmolive and Wipro.

PepsiCo promotes Amit Kumar Nanchahal as Brand Communications Head for International Beverages

PepsiCo has elevated Amit Kumar Nanchahal to Brand Communications Head for its International Beverages portfolio, overseeing Sting Energy and Mountain Dew. He previously served as Global Communications Head for the two brands and earlier led corporate communications for India and South Asia, covering marketing, sustainability, digital and internal communications. During his tenure, he also headed communications for the food category and sustainability initiatives. Before PepsiCo, Nanchahal held senior corporate communications roles at Ola and SABMiller India, managing reputation, crisis communication and stakeholder engagement. He began his career at the Confederation of Indian Industry in corporate communications and events.

Anuj Gandhi joins Jio Platforms as Chief Business Officer, Digital Entertainment

Jio Platforms Limited has appointed Anuj Gandhi as Chief Business Officer, Digital Entertainment. He will oversee JioTV, JioTV+ and Jio TeleOS, leading OS strategy, content acquisition and partnerships as the company strengthens its connected TV focus.

Gandhi previously served as Group CEO of IndiaCast and founded DEN Networks. He also launched Streambox Media, focused on smart TV and OTT integration solutions.

Taboola appoints former Amazon Ads executive Krishan Bhatia as Chief Business Officer

Taboola has appointed Krishan Bhatia as Chief Business Officer to lead global sales and partnerships across its performance, CTV and AI-driven products.

Bhatia joins from Amazon, where he served as VP, Global Video Advertising and Partnerships, launching and leading video ads across Prime Video, Live Sports and Twitch. He previously held leadership roles at NBCUniversal, overseeing global advertising and partnerships.

Havas Life appoints Joao Camacho as CCO, India & Middle East

Havas Life has appointed Joao Camacho as Chief Creative Officer for India and the Middle East. Based in Mumbai, he will report to Eric Weisberg, Global CCO, Havas Health, and Dorelle Kulkarni, Managing Director, Havas Life Mumbai. Camacho joins from Publicis Dubai and brings over two decades of experience in healthcare communications across Africa, Europe, the UK, the US, and the Middle East. His appointment aligns with Havas Health’s regional expansion strategy, strengthening creative leadership across key growth markets and enhancing culturally nuanced healthcare brand communications.

InMobi appoints Abhishek Jha as Director, Head of Advertising, India

InMobi has appointed Abhishek Jha as Director and Head of Advertising for India.

He joins from Snap Inc., where he was Industry Manager for Streaming, Gaming and Technology. Earlier, he served as Vertical Lead, D2C, Retail and CPG at Meta India, and has held roles at HT Media and Snapdeal. Jha holds an MBA in Marketing from FMS Delhi.

Senjam Raj Sekhar joins Air India as Global Head of Communications

Air India has appointed Senjam Raj Sekhar as Global Head of Communications. He joins from Mobile Premier League, where he led global corporate and brand communications.

Sekhar previously held senior communications roles at Flipkart, Vedanta Resources, Bharti Enterprises and Samsung Electronics, along with agency stints at Burson-Marsteller and Weber Shandwick. He takes on the role as Air India advances its transformation under the Tata Group.

Edelman India names Siddharth Panicker Mumbai head, Karthy Prasanna Bengaluru head

Edelman India has appointed Siddharth Panicker as Mumbai head and Karthy Prasanna as Bengaluru head, effective February 16, 2026. Both will report to Bhavna Jagtiani.

Panicker will continue as Head of Financial Services while overseeing business performance, client leadership and talent in Mumbai. Prasanna remains Consumer Technology Lead and will focus on business growth and culture in the Bengaluru office.

Hashtag Orange promotes Gaurang Menon to Managing Partner and Creative Head, West

Hashtag Orange has elevated Gaurang Menon to Managing Partner and Creative Head, West. Based in Mumbai, he will continue leading the city’s operations while assuming expanded responsibilities across the western region. Menon rejoined the agency in 2024 and has since overseen growth in clients and integrated capabilities spanning strategy, creative, media, production and performance. The Mumbai office has recorded year-on-year growth and secured mandates across healthcare, insurance, education, grooming and automotive technology. His elevation follows internal leadership changes as the agency strengthens its regional structure and integrated marketing focus.

Kausik Misra joins BigTrunk Communications as Senior Vice President, strategy

BigTrunk Communications has appointed Kausik Misra as Senior Vice President, Strategy, strengthening its leadership across planning and brand strategy. Misra brings over 15 years of experience in content, marketing and public relations, joining from Zee Entertainment Enterprises where he led non-fiction content for Zee TV. He has worked on properties such as Dance India Dance, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Zee Rishtey Awards and Zee Cine Awards, expanding them across television and digital platforms. At BigTrunk, he will focus on strategy development, audience insights and content-led brand initiatives across integrated platforms.