Brands
Haleon names Kedar Lele president for India Subcontinent
MUMBAI: Haleon has handed the reins of its India Subcontinent business to Kedar Lele, appointing him president with effect from January 2026. The move signals a sharpened focus on growth, leadership depth and closer alignment with the company’s global ambitions.
Lele will also join the Haleon executive team, bringing India firmly into the heart of the company’s “Win as One” strategy. He succeeds Navneet Saluja, who retired in October 2025 after steering the business through a period of consolidation and transition.
With more than 25 years of experience spanning FMCG, advertising, digital innovation and automotive sectors, Lele arrives with a résumé that blends scale with strategy. He joins Haleon from Castrol India Ltd, where he served as managing director. Prior to that, he spent two decades at Hindustan Unilever Ltd, holding several senior leadership roles, including executive director for sales and customer development in South Asia and chairman and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh.
An alumnus of the Indian School of Business, where he earned an MBA in strategic marketing and operations, Lele also holds a postgraduate diploma in marketing communications from Mica. Beyond corporate leadership, he serves on the board of TVS Automobile Solutions and has previously been vice president of the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bangladesh.
As president for the India Subcontinent, Lele will play a central role in driving Haleon’s ambition to reach one billion more consumers globally by 2030. He will also advance the company’s purpose of delivering better everyday health with humanity, with India positioned as a key growth engine in that journey.
Haleon India, formerly GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, operates across oral care, digestive health, pain management, respiratory care and vitamin and mineral supplements. Its portfolio includes household names such as Sensodyne, Eno, Crocin, Iodex, Otrivin, Centrum, Ostocalcium, Parodontax and Polident.
With Lele at the helm, Haleon appears set to blend consumer insight with execution muscle, aiming to make everyday health a little more accessible, and a lot more human.
Brands
Davidoff appoints Ahaan Panday as first Brand Ambassador for India
Actor to front new chapter as brand launches Cool Elixir fragrance.
MUMBAI: Davidoff has just found its perfect new splash in India and he comes with star power and a cool, confident vibe. The iconic Swiss fragrance house has announced actor Ahaan Panday as its first-ever Brand Ambassador for India, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s journey in one of its most dynamic markets. Ahaan Panday, known for his fresh energy and strong connect with younger audiences, embodies the modern Davidoff man self-assured yet carefree, ambitious yet grounded. His appointment aligns perfectly with the brand’s “gentleman adventurer” philosophy of adventure, refinement, and living life with intensity.
Sharing his excitement, Ahaan said: “Davidoff is one of those brands I’ve always associated with memories growing up. Cool Water was probably the first perfume I ever tried. To now be named Davidoff’s first Brand Ambassador for India feels incredibly special. I’ve always seen Davidoff as a symbol of confidence and staying true to who you are.”
The collaboration coincides with the launch of Davidoff’s latest global fragrance, Cool Elixir: The New Oud Treasure. This bold composition reinterprets freshness with depth and intensity, featuring a noble oud accord layered with lavandin absolute and rose oxide.
For decades, Davidoff has enjoyed cult status in urban India. With Ahaan Panday now leading the charge, the brand is set to strengthen its cultural presence and connect with a new generation of fragrance enthusiasts through a more contemporary and relatable voice.
In the competitive world of luxury fragrances, Davidoff has made a splash by choosing a young, authentic Indian talent to carry its legacy forward. Expect the scent of success — because when Ahaan Panday teams up with Davidoff, the fragrance game in India is about to get even cooler.
