Canon India elevates Puneet Datta to chief communications officer role

MUMBAI: Canon India has expanded the leadership responsibilities of long-serving executive Puneet Datta, appointing him as chief communications officer while he continues to serve as senior director with full profit and loss responsibility.

The move gives Datta a dual leadership mandate, combining oversight of the company’s communications function with continued responsibility for business performance and growth initiatives.

A veteran business leader with nearly 29 years of experience, Datta has spent more than two decades with Canon India, making him one of the company’s most experienced executives.

Announcing the development, Datta said he viewed the dual responsibility as an opportunity rather than a challenge. In a LinkedIn post, he noted that communications and commerce are closely linked through a common focus on trust, value and the story a company tells its stakeholders.

At Canon India, Datta’s journey spans more than 21 years and a series of progressively senior leadership roles. Before becoming senior director in 2019, he served as director, sales and marketing from 2013 to 2018. Earlier assignments included assistant director, sales and marketing, assistant director, marketing, senior manager, marketing, and manager for channel marketing and enterprise solution partners.

His experience covers business development, sales and marketing, channel management, customer relationship management, product management, digital transformation, organisational leadership and strategic planning. He is also recognised for his expertise in key account management, channel partnerships, people leadership and P&L management.

Prior to joining Canon India in 2004, Datta worked with Emerson Network Power, where he served in regional leadership roles across North and West India. Before that, he spent three years at Ricoh India, working in dealer sales and support functions.

Over the years, Datta has played a significant role in Canon India’s expansion and market development efforts, contributing across sales, marketing and business transformation initiatives.

His academic credentials include studies in marketing at Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode, complementing a career that has increasingly combined commercial leadership with organisational transformation.

The appointment comes at a time when companies are placing greater emphasis on aligning business strategy, brand reputation and stakeholder communication. By entrusting both functions to a single leader, Canon India is signalling a closer integration between corporate storytelling and business execution.

For Datta, the expanded role marks another milestone in a career spanning nearly three decades, while for Canon India, it reinforces the importance of building a brand and business through a unified leadership vision.