Malhotra’s resignation adds Dabur to a series of leadership changes across India’s FMCG sector, following exits at Godrej Consumer Products, HUL, Britannia and Colgate-Palmolive
Dabur India has joined a growing list of established fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies witnessing changes at the top, with Global Chief Executive Officer and Whole-time Director Mohit Malhotra resigning from the company, effective 13 November 2026. His departure marks the end of an association spanning more than three decades with the packaged consumer goods maker.
Malhotra’s exit comes amid a wider wave of leadership transitions across India’s consumer goods industry, involving Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL), Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Britannia Industries, Nestlé India, Colgate-Palmolive India and Wipro Consumer Care. While the circumstances differ across companies, the changes have coincided with an increasingly challenging operating environment, characterised by uneven consumption growth, input cost inflation, intensifying competition and changing consumer purchasing patterns.
Dabur’s board accepted Malhotra’s resignation at its November 4 meeting. In his resignation letter, disclosed through a stock exchange filing, Malhotra said he had “accepted a leadership role overseas, effective 16 November 2026”. The company cited his decision to pursue personal interests and take up an overseas assignment.
His departure comes before the completion of his existing tenure. Malhotra had been reappointed as Dabur’s CEO in August 2023 for a five-year term extending until January 30, 2029. In February 2026, he was elevated to the newly created position of Global CEO, with Herjit Singh Bhalla taking charge of the India business.
Slow Consumption, Changing Distribution Put FMCG Leadership Under Pressure
The leadership changes come at a time when India’s FMCG industry is grappling with an inconsistent consumption recovery. Companies have faced subdued volume growth, particularly in urban markets, alongside elevated input costs and pressure to protect operating margins.
The shift towards quick commerce has added another layer of complexity. Traditional FMCG companies, which built their businesses around extensive distributor and general trade networks, are increasingly required to manage multiple distribution channels with different pricing structures, margins and consumer expectations.
The growing influence of Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart has also prompted established manufacturers to reassess their distribution strategies. Maintaining relationships with traditional retailers while expanding their presence on digital platforms has become an important operating challenge.
In its earlier coverage of the leadership churn, BW reported that the sector was also witnessing greater pressure from investors and boards for quicker business execution. Search and leadership advisory firms cited margin pressures, intensifying competition and slower volume-led growth as factors prompting companies to reassess their leadership requirements.
The changing requirements of the business are also influencing the profiles of incoming executives, with companies increasingly bringing in leaders with experience in marketing, ecommerce, finance and digital distribution.
GCPL, HUL And Britannia See Leadership Changes
One of the more unexpected departures took place at GCPL in August 2026, when Managing Director and CEO Sudhir Sitapati resigned just days after shareholders approved his reappointment for another five-year term.
The company appointed Chief Financial Officer Aasif Malbari as his successor on the same day. Sitapati, in his resignation communication, said he felt “the task I had set for myself here is done and this is the right time to move on”.
GCPL did not disclose a specific reason for his departure in its stock exchange filing. His resignation came despite the company reporting 19 per cent revenue growth and 9 per cent underlying volume growth in the first quarter of FY27.
The transition also comes after Sitapati led a series of changes at GCPL, including expansion into newer categories such as perfumes, deodorants and pet care, alongside manufacturing and distribution restructuring.
HUL’s leadership change in July 2025 came against a backdrop of slowing business growth. Rohit Jawa stepped down after approximately two years as CEO and Managing Director, with Priya Nair taking charge on August 1.
During Jawa’s tenure, HUL faced challenges in accelerating volume growth amid subdued consumption. Industry reporting at the time also pointed to pressure from acquisitions, competition and strained relationships with parts of its traditional distribution network. However, the company did not officially attribute his departure to any single business issue.
Britannia Industries witnessed another significant transition in November 2025, when Vice-Chairman, Managing Director and CEO Varun Berry resigned after 13 years with the company.
The company did not provide a detailed explanation for his resignation. His departure came at a time when Britannia was facing margin pressures amid changing consumer preferences and tax-related changes in the market. The company had already appointed Rakshit Hargave, formerly CEO of Aditya Birla Group’s Birla Opus paints business, as its incoming chief executive.
Colgate And Nestlé Transitions Involved Different Circumstances
Not all leadership changes in the sector have been linked to business performance. At Colgate-Palmolive India, Managing Director and CEO Prabha Narasimhan was elevated to Executive Vice-President – Marketing for the company’s Asia-Pacific business in August 2026. Manish Anandani, who previously spent eight years at Kenvue, was named her successor, effective 28 September.
The transition represented an internal elevation to a regional role rather than a resignation from the organisation.
Nestlé India’s leadership transition in 2025 was also a planned succession. Suresh Narayanan retired as Chairman and Managing Director on 31 July, after a decade at the helm. Manish Tiwary, formerly Amazon India’s country head, succeeded him on 1 August, following a succession plan announced in October 2024.
Narayanan had led the company through the 2015 Maggi noodles crisis and its subsequent recovery.
At the global level, however, Nestlé witnessed a different kind of leadership change. Global CEO Laurent Freixe was removed on September 1, 2025, following an internal investigation into an undisclosed relationship with a subordinate. Philipp Navratil, then head of Nespresso, succeeded him on the same day. The departure was linked to a breach of the company’s code of conduct rather than business performance.
Dabur Restructures Leadership Following Malhotra’s Exit
At Dabur, Bhalla has now been appointed as an additional director and whole-time director for a five-year term, effective 14 November 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. He will continue to lead the India business.
Existing whole-time director P. D. Narang will provide strategic guidance across the group and oversee its international business, which accounts for around 30 per cent of Dabur’s revenue.
The company has not announced a separate appointment to replace Malhotra as Global CEO.
Malhotra joined Dabur as a management trainee more than 30 years ago. During his tenure, he was part of the company’s expansion from a Rs 1,250-crore organisation into a multinational enterprise with operations in more than 100 countries and revenue exceeding Rs 13,000 crore.
He holds a management degree from Pune University and an Executive Master’s in International Business from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi.
Dabur Reports Double-digit Profit Growth
The leadership transition comes alongside a strong quarterly performance for Dabur. The company reported an 11.7 per cent year-on-year increase in consolidated net profit to Rs 505.5 crore in the July-September quarter of FY27. It marked the company’s fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit profit growth, supported by underlying volume expansion.
Consolidated revenue from operations increased 11.6 per cent year-on-year to Rs 3,563.1 crore during the quarter.
Dabur said its premium brands continued to outperform its mass-market portfolio, growing at four times the rate of its mass-priced products. Premium offerings now contribute 20 per cent of the company’s domestic business.
Its international business registered 20 per cent growth in rupee terms during the quarter.
Commenting on the performance, Bhalla attributed the growth to “sharper execution of strategy”, despite geopolitical uncertainty and elevated input costs.
“The quarter saw a marked resurgence in general trade with the channel growing by mid to high single digits,” he added.
