The 2025 CXO shuffle: A complete leadership wrap-up

2025 stood out as a watershed year for leadership transitions across industries, shaped by digital acceleration, consolidation, succession planning and IPO readiness. From marquee CEO appointments at global corporations to deep structural reshuffles across India Inc and the advertising industry, the year saw an unusually high concentration of CXO-level moves that will influence strategy, scale and growth in the years ahead.

Here is a definitive, sector-wise listicle of the most consequential leadership transitions of 2025.

Global Titans: CEOs & Chairmen

Shailesh Jejurikar (Procter & Gamble)

P&G named COO Shailesh Jejurikar as CEO, effective January 2026, succeeding Jon Moeller. He becomes the first Indian to lead the 187-year-old FMCG major. Jejurikar currently oversees Enterprise Markets and previously led the Fabric & Home Care business, one of P&G’s largest global divisions.

Fernando Fernandez (Unilever)

Unilever announced that CFO Fernando Fernandez will replace CEO Hein Schumacher in May 2026. Fernandez joined Unilever as CFO in 2024 and previously led the Beauty & Wellbeing Business Group, giving him strong category depth.

Dave Lewis (Diageo)

Former Tesco CEO Dave Lewis was appointed CEO of Diageo from 2026. Lewis, who also serves as chair of Haleon, succeeds Debra Crew and has been tasked with leading a turnaround at the Johnnie Walker maker.

Daniel Ek (Spotify)

Spotify founder Daniel Ek stepped down as CEO to become executive chairman starting January 2026. Co-presidents Gustav Söderström and Alex Norström will succeed him, marking a significant leadership shift for the streaming giant.

Steve Cahillane (Kraft Heinz)

Steve Cahillane was named CEO effective January 2026, moving from Kellanova. He takes charge as Kraft Heinz prepares to separate into two independent companies.

Dame Emma Walmsley (GSK)

GSK announced Dame Emma Walmsley will step down as CEO and from the board by end-2025. Chief commercial officer Luke Miels will take over from January 1, signalling a planned succession.

Philipp Navratil (Nestlé S.A.)

Nestlé appointed Philipp Navratil as CEO following Laurent Freixe’s exit. Paul Bulcke stepped down as chairman, with Pablo Isla taking over in October. Navratil previously led Nestlé’s Nespresso business.

Giuseppe Marsocci (Giorgio Armani)

Following the passing of founder Giorgio Armani, deputy managing director Giuseppe Marsocci was appointed CEO. A long-serving executive, his immediate priorities include governance continuity and overseeing the sale of a minority stake.

Panos Mytaros (Bata Group)

Bata Group appointed Panos Mytaros as global CEO, succeeding Sandeep Kataria. He joins from ECCO as the footwear major navigates slowing growth and shifting consumer demand.

Aude Gandon (Estée Lauder)

Estée Lauder Companies appointed Aude Gandon as chief digital and marketing officer. She joins from Nestlé, where she served as global CMO and led digital transformation across 188 markets.

TM Roh (Samsung)

Samsung reinstated a co-CEO structure, appointing TM Roh as head of the Device eXperience division and CEO, alongside Vice Chairman Young Hyun Jun, who continues to lead the Memory Business.

Sabih Khan (Apple)

Apple promoted SVP of operations Sabih Khan to COO, succeeding Jeff Williams. Williams will continue to report to CEO Tim Cook and oversee the design team during the transition.

India Inc.: Conglomerates, Consumer & Retail

N. Chandrasekaran (Tata Sons)

Natarajan Chandrasekaran stepped down as chairman of Tata Chemicals effective May 29, 2025. Tata veteran S Padmanabhan, with over four decades of group experience, was appointed his successor.

Manish Sharma (Panasonic Life Solutions India)

Manish Sharma stepped down from his position at Panasonic Life Solutions India. During the transition period, Sharma will continue to support the organisation, according to a Moneycontrol report. Tadashi Chiba, managing director and CEO of Panasonic Life Solutions, will continue to oversee the India business. Sharma has previously worked across LG Electronics, Samsung India and Haier Appliances.

Jeyandran Venugopal (Reliance Retail)

Reliance Retail appointed former Flipkart executive Jeyandran Venugopal as president and CEO. He joins to help prepare the business for a potential public listing, bringing experience from his role as CPTO at Walmart-backed Flipkart.

Aarthi Subramanian & Mangesh Sathe (TCS)

TCS appointed Aarthi Subramanian as executive director, president and COO, and Mangesh Sathe as chief strategy officer. Subramanian previously served as group chief digital officer at Tata Sons.

Naveen Tahilyani (Tata Digital)

Naveen Tahilyani stepped down as MD and CEO of Tata Digital after a one-year stint, moving to UK-based Prudential Plc as regional CEO. His career spans insurance, banking and consulting.

Suparna Mitra (TeamLease)

TeamLease Services appointed Suparna Mitra as MD and CEO effective February 2026. Formerly CEO of Titan’s Watches division, she drove a doubling of revenues during her tenure.

Shibashish Roy (Croma)

Croma appointed Shibashish Roy as CEO and MD in April 2025. A Tata Group veteran, he worked closely with outgoing MD Avijit Mitra during a structured transition period.

Sunil Kataria (Godrej Agrovet)

Sunil Kataria assumed charge as CEO and MD of Godrej Agrovet for a five-year term. He brings over two decades of leadership experience across Marico, Godrej Consumer Products and Raymond.

Vineet Agrawal (Wipro Consumer Care)

Wipro Consumer Care announced the retirement of CEO Vineet Agrawal effective January 2026. During his tenure, the company completed 15 acquisitions, transforming it into a global FMCG player. Kumar Chander will succeed him.

Sameer Wanchoo – Chief Marketing Officer, VIP Industries; ex-CMO at Eureka Forbes and VP Marketing at CavinKare, with broad FMCG and retail experience.

Food & FMCG Leadership

Suresh Narayanan (Nestlé India)

Nestlé India chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan stepped down on July 31 after a decade-long tenure marked by crisis management and business recovery. Former Amazon India country manager Manish Tiwary succeeded him, signalling a shift toward digital-first and consumer-led growth.

Manish Bandlish (Mother Dairy)

Stepped down as MD, Mother Dairy; expanded business from INR 10,000 crore to INR 17,400 crore in four years.

Vandana Suri (HUL)

Executive Director, Home Care, HUL; previously GM for Beauty & Wellbeing Indonesia, drove premiumisation and growth initiatives.

Srinandan Sundaram (HUL)

CEO, Unilever International; former Executive Director, Home Care, HUL, led digital and portfolio transformation.

Automotive & Manufacturing

P.B. Balaji (Jaguar Land Rover)

Tata Motors appointed group CFO P.B. Balaji as CEO of Jaguar Land Rover in November 2025. He succeeds Adrian Mardell and played a pivotal role in JLR’s financial and operational transformation.

Shailesh Chandra (Tata Motors)

Shailesh Chandra was appointed CEO and MD of Tata Motors, effective April 2026. He currently leads Tata Passenger Electric Mobility and will head the demerged commercial vehicles entity following regulatory approvals.

Andreas Modlmayer (BMW India)

BMW India appointed Andreas Modlmayer as managing director and CEO. A BMW Group veteran since 2000, he brings experience from leadership roles across New Zealand, China and Hong Kong.

Harshvardhan Chitale (Hero MotoCorp)

Hero MotoCorp appointed Harshvardhan Chitale as CEO effective January 2026. He most recently served as global CEO of Signify’s €4 billion professional business.

Tarun Garg (Hyundai India)

Hyundai Motor India named Tarun Garg as MD and CEO effective January 2026. An IIM Lucknow alumnus, he played a key role in executing India’s largest automotive IPO.

Stephane Deblaise (Renault India)

Renault Group appointed Stephane Deblaise as CEO for India operations, signalling a renewed strategic focus following his turnaround mandate in Korea.

Brendon Sissing (Mercedes-Benz India)

Mercedes-Benz appointed Brendon Sissing as vice president of sales and marketing. He previously led Mercedes-Benz Financial Services India to record portfolio growth and profits.

Atul Sood (Kia India)

Kia India appointed Atul Sood as senior vice president – sales and marketing. He brings nearly three decades of experience, most recently with Toyota Mobility Solutions and Services India.

Consumer, FMCG & BFSI

Priya Nair (HUL)

HUL appointed Priya Nair as CEO and MD effective August 2025, succeeding Rohit Jawa. She joined HUL in 1995 and most recently led Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing business globally.

Rakshit Hargave (Britannia)

Britannia appointed Rakshit Hargave as CEO for a five-year term starting December 2025. He previously served as CEO of Birla Opus, where he helped set up six manufacturing facilities.

Rajneet Kohli (HUL)

HUL appointed Rajneet Kohli as executive director, foods. He brings over 28 years of experience and was most recently CEO of Britannia.

Hina Nagarajan (Diageo)

Former Diageo India MD and CEO Hina Nagarajan moved to the role of president, Diageo Africa, after a two-decade career spanning India and global markets.

Debasree Dasgupta (Pernod Ricard)

Pernod Ricard appointed Debasree Dasgupta as CMO of India. She continues to serve as global VP and CMO of Absolut.

Hemant Rupani (Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages)

Hemant Rupani joined Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages as CEO after a nine-year stint at Mondelez International, where he last served as business unit president for Southeast Asia.

Rajiv Anand (IndusInd Bank)

IndusInd Bank appointed Rajiv Anand as CEO and MD. He was previously the founding MD and CEO of Axis Asset Management.

Ramakrishnan Chander (LIC)

LIC appointed Ramakrishnan Chander as managing director effective December 1. He joined LIC in 1990 and last served as executive director, investments (front office).

Prashant Kumar (Yes Bank)

Yes Bank reappointed Prashant Kumar as MD and CEO through April 2026. He joined the bank post-reconstruction in 2020 after a 34-year career at SBI.

Tech, Media & AI

Sandhya Devanathan (Meta)

Meta expanded Sandhya Devanathan’s mandate to include Southeast Asia, in addition to India.

Fidji Simo (OpenAI)

OpenAI appointed former Instacart CEO Fidji Simo as CEO of applications. She has been a board member since March 2024.

Amar Subramanya (Apple)

Apple hired Amar Subramanya to lead its AI initiatives following John Giannandrea’s exit. He joins from Microsoft.

Ragini Das (Google)

Google appointed Ragini Das as head of Google for Startups India. She is the co-founder of leap.club.

Vamsi Murthy (Netflix)

Netflix appointed Vamsi Murthy as senior director and head of marketing for India. He previously led consumer marketing at JioStar.

Neha Barjatya (Peak XV)

Peak XV Partners appointed Neha Barjatya as CMO, bringing two decades of experience from Google India.

Kisha Gupta (Infosys)

Global Head of Brand, Infosys; previously Associate VP, led Infosys’ engagement with global academia and flagship InStep program.

Agencies & Retail

Omnicom Advertising India

Omnicom unveiled a new India structure following its acquisition of IPG. Prasoon Joshi was elevated to chairman, Aditya Kanthy appointed president and MD, and S. Subramanyeswar named chief strategy officer. Dheeraj Sinha will lead McCann Worldgroup India, Josy Paul continues at BBDO India, Govind Pandey and Prateek Bhardwaj head TBWA\Lintas, Chandni Shah has been appointed CEO of Kinnect and 22feet Tribal, and Rohan Mehta will oversee digital integration.

Abhimanyu Khedkar (Leo)

Managing Director & Head of Office, Mumbai, Leo; former Managing Partner, with prior roles at BBH India, O&M, Publicis Ambience, and Percept H.

Amit Wadhwa (Dentsu)

Dentsu appointed Amit Wadhwa as CEO of Dentsu Creative & Media Brands, South Asia, while Anita Kotwani moved to chief client officer.

Laurent Ezekiel (WPP/Ogilvy)

WPP appointed Laurent Ezekiel as CEO of Ogilvy Group after leading WPP Open X for The Coca-Cola Company.

Rakesh Jallipally (Pepe Jeans)

Pepe Jeans London appointed Rakesh Jallipally as CEO for India, bringing experience from Flipkart.

Jacob George (Duroflex)

Duroflex elevated Jacob George as chairman and managing director following a decade of expansion-led leadership.

Gaurav Nayyar (boAt)

boAt elevated COO Gaurav Nayyar to CEO, while co-founder Sameer Mehta transitioned to executive director.