(July 30, 2025) Come January 1, 2026, Shailesh Jejurikar will become the first Indian-origin executive to serve as Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble, the 187-year-old American consumer goods giant known for transforming everyday routines into enduring brand loyalty across the globe. With this appointment, the Mumbai-born executive joins the top echelon of Indian-origin CEOs leading major global corporations, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of multinational business leadership.
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Jejurikar’s 36-year ascent through the ranks of P&G is interwoven with the story of a company whose brands have shaped household habits for generations from Tide and Pampers to Gillette, Oral-B, and Vicks, along with many others that are loved by consumers worldwide.
“It’s really about picking up that consumer understanding, seeing how their lives are changing, and then being able to innovate for that,” Jejurikar had remarked in an earlier interview. That guiding principle has been central to both his personal journey and P&G’s transformation across decades of demographic and technological change.
A landmark appointment
Procter & Gamble has had only a select number of chief executives in its nearly two-century history, and none of Indian origin until now. As incoming CEO, Shailesh Jejurikar will oversee a vast multinational enterprise that spans more than 180 countries and operates across five major business segments: Fabric & Home Care, Baby, Feminine & Family Care, Beauty, Health Care, and Grooming.
As the company describes itself: “Our brands are trusted in millions of living rooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and bathrooms and have been passed down from generation to generation. We are the people behind the brands you trust, and we’re committed to making people’s lives better in small but meaningful ways, every day.”
The CEO’s role in the organization demands not only strategic foresight, but also a deep understanding of consumer behaviour across varied geographies. These are strengths Jejurikar has developed through decades of leading businesses across regions, functions, and product categories of Procter & Gamble.
Shailesh Jejurikar addressing employees of P&G in Europe
Indian foundation of a career across continents
Shailesh Jejurikar, 58, was born in Mumbai and completed his schooling at the Hyderabad Public School, an institution that also counts among its alumni several other Indian-origin global CEOs, including Satya Nadella. He went on to pursue undergraduate studies at Elphinstone College in Mumbai, followed by an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow.
He joined Procter & Gamble in 1989 as an Assistant Brand Manager in Personal Health Care in India. Over the decades, his career has spanned continents and business categories from managing detergent portfolios in East Africa and ASEAN to leading global operations for the company’s Fabric & Home Care division. Jejurikar’s cross-market versatility and deep operational insight have become defining traits of his leadership, aligning closely with the demands of a globally integrated enterprise.
As an alumnus, Jejurikar addressed the audience during The Hyderabad Public School’s centennial celebrations
A three-decade climb through the ranks
Over the years, Jejurikar held roles across geographies and verticals, from fabric care and home care to beauty and personal care. In 2014, he was inducted into P&G’s Global Leadership Council, marking his arrival at the top table of the company’s decision-making core.
In 2019, he was named Chief Executive Officer of P&G’s Global Fabric and Home Care division, a $30 billion portfolio housing iconic brands like Tide, Ariel, Downy, Gain, Febreze, and Swiffer. Under his leadership, the business posted industry-leading growth, driven by innovations like Tide Pods and Dawn Power Wash, and by responding astutely to changing consumer habits such as dishwashing in small batches instead of full loads. In an interview, he noted: “We’re working in a new way with retailers on the totality of the supply chain, end-to-end. Seeing one supply chain from the shelf back presents a breakthrough opportunity.”
By 2021, Jejurikar was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, entrusted with P&G’s Enterprise Markets which is a sprawling cluster covering Latin America, India, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In this capacity, he managed critical business enablers including IT, sales, manufacturing, and market operations.
Shailesh Jejurikar at Procter & Gamble’s Europe headquarters
Promoting sustainability with a business spine
Between 2016 and 2021, Jejurikar also served as the Executive Sponsor for P&G’s global sustainability efforts. At a time when ESG (environmental, social, governance) metrics were becoming central to corporate accountability, he worked to embed the company’s ambitious sustainability goals into everyday operations.
This included rethinking product packaging, minimizing water usage, and integrating circular economy principles across the supply chain. Under his leadership, P&G accelerated its commitments to environmental responsibility across product design, manufacturing, and logistics. The integration of climate, waste, water, and nature, the four science-based pillars reflected his push to position sustainability not just as a regulatory obligation, but as a long-term driver of value and innovation.
For Jejurikar, sustainability is not a separate agenda, rather it’s an enabler of innovation and trust. “The idea,” he has said, “is to create value not just for shareholders, but for consumers and the planet.”
Shailesh Jejurikar on a market tour
Navigating global headwinds
Jejurikar assumes leadership at a time when P&G, like many multinational companies, is facing macroeconomic challenges. The company recently revised its earnings forecasts amid rising input costs, currency volatility, and shifting global trade dynamics, particularly between the U.S. and China.
However, his deep familiarity with both developed and emerging markets is expected to help the company chart a resilient path forward. According to a company statement, Jejurikar’s “track record of delivering strong results across geographies positions him well to guide the company’s next phase.”
As he once said, “Understanding people’s articulated and unarticulated needs — that’s the toughest job. But if you get it right, everything else follows.” In getting it right, Jejurikar is showing the world how global leadership can be as much about listening as it is about leading.
Shailesh Jejurikar in one of the field visits to gain consumer insights
Diaspora pride
In 2023, Jejurikar was recognized as “Man of the Year in Private Service” at the Diwali celebrations in Times Square, New York. On stage, surrounded by public figures and community leaders, he took a moment to reflect on his decades-long journey: “I’ve had the privilege of working around the world in a variety of roles, but what has always inspired me is Procter & Gamble’s unwavering commitment to deeply understanding our consumers and innovating to create everyday products that can improve lives.”
It was a poignant moment that served as a reminder that behind the data charts and quarterly earnings lies a human story of global mobility, rooted values, and cultural empathy.
Shailesh Jejurikar received “Man of the Year in Private Service” award at the Times Square, New York
A global Indian for a global company
P&G is, in many ways is a mirror of globalization. Its brands sit in households from Tokyo to Toronto, Lagos to Lucknow. As the company navigates a future filled with demographic shifts, sustainability pressures, and digital-first consumption patterns, Shailesh Jejurikar’s cross-cultural experience could prove to be its greatest asset.
While many Indian-origin CEOs have emerged through U.S. universities and Silicon Valley boardrooms, Jejurikar’s ascent from the classrooms of IIM Lucknow to the corner office at Procter & Gamble charts a distinctly Indian path to global leadership. It affirms the growing stature of India’s management institutions, whose alumni are increasingly shaping decisions at the highest levels of global enterprise.
- Follow Shailesh Jejurikar on LinkedIn
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