Brands
Amit Kumar Nanchahal elevated to brand communications head – international beverages at PepsiCo
Seasoned reputation strategist takes charge of international beverages portfolio after steering corporate narrative in India and South Asia
GURGOAN: PepsiCo has handed the communications reins of two of its punchiest brands to a veteran insider. Amit Kumar Nanchahal has been appointed brand communications head, international beverages for Sting Energy and Mountain Dew, marking his latest ascent in a career spanning more than two decades in corporate storytelling and sustainability strategy.
Based in Delhi, Nanchahal will now oversee global communications for Sting Energy and Mountain Dew across international markets, sharpening brand narratives in an increasingly competitive and youth-driven energy drinks segment.
The move follows his stint as head of corporate communications for India and South Asia at PepsiCo, where he drove the company’s food and beverage marketing communications, sustainability messaging, digital outreach and internal communications. Over seven years at the American beverages giant, he has moved steadily up the ladder, from associate director overseeing food category and sustainability communications to the top communications post for international beverages.
Before PepsiCo, Nanchahal cut his teeth in high-stakes corporate environments. At Ola, he led corporate communications and advocacy, positioning the ride-hailing firm as a sustainability-focused mobility player while steering crisis strategy and stakeholder engagement. Earlier, at SABMiller India, he spent nearly a decade managing media relations, internal communications and sustainability programmes in one of India’s most tightly regulated sectors.
His career began at the Confederation of Indian Industry, where he worked on corporate communications and policy engagement, liaising between industry and the Haryana government.
Nanchahal’s credentials include being named among India’s Top 100 Change Makers and a 40 Under 40 honouree by industry platforms. Campaigns under his watch have picked up Cannes Lions, including initiatives such as Lay’s Smart Farm, BioChar, Gatorade Turf Finder and the Lay’s Farm Equal Project, blending brand building with sustainability narratives.
At PepsiCo, the brief is clear: amplify global brand voice, align purpose with performance and keep two high-voltage brands culturally relevant in crowded markets.
If reputation is capital and narrative is leverage, Nanchahal now sits at the fulcrum. In the battle for consumer attention, the energy is not just in the can, it is in the story.
Brands
Godrej clarifies ‘GI’ identifier after logo similarity debate
Says GI is not a logo, will not replace Godrej signature across products.
MUMBAI: In a branding storm where shapes did the talking, Godrej is now spelling things out. Godrej Industries Group (GIG) has issued a clarification on its newly introduced ‘GI’ identifier, addressing questions around its purpose and design following a wave of online criticism. At the centre of the debate were two concerns: whether the new mark replaces the long-standing Godrej logo, and whether its geometric design mirrors other corporate identities.
The company has drawn a clear line. The Godrej signature logo, it said, remains unchanged and continues to be the sole logo across all consumer-facing products and services. The ‘GI’ mark, by contrast, is not a logo but a corporate group identifier intended for use alongside the Godrej signature or company name, and aimed at stakeholders such as investors, media and talent rather than consumers.
The need for such a distinction stems from the 2024 restructuring of the broader Godrej Group into two separate business entities. With both continuing to operate under the same Godrej name and signature, the identifier is positioned as a way to differentiate the Godrej Industries Group at a corporate level.
The rollout, however, triggered a broader conversation on design originality. Critics pointed to similarities between the GI mark’s geometric composition and logos used by companies globally, raising questions about distinctiveness.
Responding to this, GIG said its intellectual property and legal review found that such overlaps are common in minimalist, geometry-led design systems. Basic forms such as circles and rectangles appear across dozens of brand identities worldwide, the company noted.
It added that the identifier emerged from an extensive design process and was chosen for its simplicity, allowing it to sit alongside the Godrej signature without competing visually. While acknowledging that elemental shapes may appear less distinctive in isolation, the group emphasised that the mark is part of a broader identity system that includes a custom typeface, sonic branding and other proprietary elements.
Following legal and ethical assessments, the company said it found no impediment to using the identifier, reiterating that the GI mark is a corporate tool not a consumer-facing symbol.
In short, the logo isn’t changing but the conversation around it certainly has.
