Colgate-Palmolive India Names Akash Parekh EVP Marketing as Gunjit Jain Exits

Colgate-Palmolive (India) has named Akash Parekh, its Senior Director of Marketing for Asia Pacific, as Executive Vice President of Marketing from 1 December 2026, succeeding Gunjit Jain, who steps down on 30 November after more than 18 years with the company, BestMediaInfo and Storyboard18 reported on 22 October 2026.

The company said Jain was leaving for a "professional growth opportunity outside the company", according to both reports. His next role has not been disclosed. The change was announced with the toothpaste maker's September-quarter results, in which advertising spend rose about 40%.

Who is Akash Parekh

Parekh joined Colgate-Palmolive in 2009 and has worked in India, North America and Asia Pacific, where he currently leads regional marketing strategy. He began his career at Nielsen in 2006, holds an MBA in marketing from the Mumbai Educational Trust and completed Stanford University's Global Leadership Development Program, both outlets reported. The company's board approved his appointment, according to BestMediaInfo.

Jain's 18 years

Jain joined Colgate-Palmolive India as a management trainee in June 2008 and worked across sales, retail marketing and brand management, including the toothbrush portfolio. He later handled regional marketing in Southeast Asia and, from 2018, global oral care marketing in New York, working on the relaunch of Colgate Total, BestMediaInfo reported.

He became head of marketing in India in February 2023, leading a team of more than 200 people across marketing and professional business. His tenure focused on premium products and growth in e-commerce and quick commerce.

A bigger ad budget to inherit

Colgate-Palmolive India spent ₹314.82 crore on advertising in the September quarter, up 39.9% from ₹225.10 crore a year earlier, BestMediaInfo reported. That took advertising to 18.6% of net sales from 14.9%. For the first half, ad spend rose 37% to ₹566.68 crore.

Net sales rose 12.2% to ₹1,691.57 crore and net profit rose 4.3% to ₹341.57 crore. The board declared a first interim dividend of ₹24 a share, and the stock fell 4.27% to ₹1,613 on the NSE on the morning of 23 October, Angel One reported.

The jump in spending mirrors other big advertisers this results season, including Nestlé India, which raised ad spend 46%, at a time when TV ad activity has slipped during the BARC ratings blackout.