MAM
P&G India appoints Mukta Maheshwari as its chief marketing officer
Mumbai: Procter & Gamble India, maker of brands like Ariel, Whisper, and Gillette, has appointed Mukta Maheshwari as the company’s chief marketing officer (CMO) effective 1 September.
Along with leading the marketing function, Maheshwari will also head the fabric care category for P&G India. She brings with her a rich work experience of over two decades. She joined P&G in 2007 in Singapore and has since worked across five brands across three different countries. Prior to assuming her new role as the chief marketing officer and fabric care category head, Maheshwari served as the vice president, fabric enhancers in the ASEAN region, based out of Singapore and was instrumental in delivering double digit top and bottom line for Downy in ASEAN. This was enabled by, among multiple other aspects, the launch of Downy Natural Essential oil scents range, which was spearheaded by her.
Speaking about her new role, Maheshwari said, “I am thrilled to kickstart the next phase of my journey with P&G and coming back to India, after having the opportunity to work across multiple roles in the region, including Singapore and Philippines. P&Gs philosophy of touching and improving lives truly resonates with me, and I am glad that my new role will enable me to continue aspiring to positively impact our consumers, communities, and people. India continues to be an important market for P&G globally, as we continue to delight the consumers with our superior brands. These are exciting times, and I look forward to contributing to the growth of P&G in India, together with our people who are the backbone of this resilient and empowered organization.”
Maheshwari is an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta and holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology.
Maheshwari takes over from Sharat Verma in the role, who has been elevated as the senior vice president – fabric care for P&G India, Middle East, and Africa (IMEA) and will spearhead the efforts based out of Dubai. Under Sharat’s leadership over the last four years, P&G has stepped up on its brand building efforts, leading many innovative solutions and campaigns that are not just a force for growth, but also a force for good. This is reflected not just in the growth of the brands, but also multiple external recognition – national and global – that the brands have garnered over the years on iconic initiatives like Ariel #ShareTheLoad, Whisper #KeepGirlsInSchool, etc.
Sharing his perspective, Verma said “It has been my privilege and an absolute honor to serve as the CMO for P&G India. The journey has been rewarding and one filled with immense learnings. From every campaign that captured hearts, to each innovation that reshaped industries, our commitment to delivering exceptional results stands as a testament to our unwavering pursuit of excellence. Together, we raised the bar on consumer centricity and brand building and reinforced our brands as both – a #ForceForGrowth and a #ForceforGood. As I extend a warm welcome to Mukta, I am confident that our legacy will continue to thrive, inspiring new heights of creativity, impact, and success. I am only optimistic about what the future holds.”
MAM
Brands push beyond compliance as trust takes centre stage
ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026 spotlights shift from legal checks to credibility.
MUMBAI: In a world where a disclaimer can be legally sound yet socially suspect, brands are learning that compliance may tick boxes but trust wins markets. At the inaugural ASCI AdTrust Summit 2026, a panel on “Beyond Compliance: The New Currency of Trust” unpacked a growing industry reality: the gap between what the law permits and what consumers accept is widening and fast.
Moderated by Meenakshi Ramkumar of National Law School of India University, the discussion brought together leaders across law, marketing and academia to examine how brands must evolve in a digital ecosystem increasingly shaped by scrutiny, scepticism and speed.
Ramkumar set the tone by highlighting a critical shift, advertising today operates in the same digital space that fuels misinformation, scams and fake news, making credibility harder to establish. “The challenge is not just about what brands do, but the broader context of low institutional trust,” she noted, adding that when violations go unchecked, trust erodes not just in brands but in the regulatory system itself.
This vacuum, she said, has given rise to consumer activism from boycotts to social media backlash as a parallel accountability mechanism.
For Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer at Marico, the distinction was clear, legal compliance is non negotiable, but insufficient. “Compliance is the minimum threshold. The real challenge is staying aligned with changing consumer expectations,” he said.
He pointed to how advertising narratives have evolved from traditional depictions of gender roles to more shared responsibilities reflecting a broader societal shift. “Earlier, it was fine to show one person doing the household work. Today, that may not land well. Consumers expect brands to reflect reality,” Bhasin observed.
He also highlighted internal debates where campaigns that may be legally permissible are still rejected for being culturally insensitive, noting that responsible advertising often requires asking uncomfortable questions before the public does.
If compliance is the baseline, reputation is the battlefield.
Bhasin noted that reputational risk has become a far greater concern than legal exposure, particularly in an era where campaigns can be dissected within hours online. “Earlier, a controversial ad might invite a newspaper editorial. Today, within hours, you’re at the centre of a storm,” he said.
Brands, he added, now evaluate campaigns through a dual lens legal viability and reputational vulnerability with the latter often proving more decisive.
From a healthcare perspective, Satish Sahoo of Cipla Health underscored the complexity of operating within fragmented yet stringent regulatory frameworks, spanning drugs, food, cosmetics and Ayush. “Anything under a drug licence is the most tightly regulated,” he said, adding that this necessitates proactive, not reactive, compliance.
He shared an example from the oral rehydration salts (ORS) category, where Cipla resisted the temptation to position products aggressively despite competitive pressure. “Our product is WHO compliant, and our communication reflects that. We chose not to blur the lines, even if others did,” he noted.
The long term payoff, he suggested, lies in credibility built over consistency, not quick wins.
Yet, as Harsha N of National Law School of India University pointed out, even perfect compliance does not guarantee trust. Drawing from historical and modern examples from exaggerated product claims in the 1800s to contemporary environmental and health advertising, he argued that legal frameworks often lag behind consumer expectations. “A brand can be fully compliant and still be perceived as misleading,” he said, citing instances where fine print disclosures fail to reach or convince the average consumer. He added that larger companies carry a disproportionate responsibility to set ethical benchmarks, even in areas where the law remains silent.
The conversation also turned to digital advertising, where the challenge extends beyond content to how ads are experienced. From algorithmic targeting to personalised messaging, brands now operate in an environment where regulation struggles to keep pace with technology.
Sahoo noted that social media has amplified awareness, with influencers and consumers increasingly scrutinising product claims and calling out inconsistencies. “Awareness has gone up dramatically. People are questioning what goes into products and what brands are saying,” he said.
The role of self regulatory bodies such as Advertising Standards Council of India also came under the spotlight.
Harsha acknowledged that while SROs play a crucial role, they are not immune to criticism, particularly around perceived conflicts of interest and enforcement gaps. “SROs have a higher threshold of responsibility not just to interpret the law, but to anticipate societal expectations,” he said.
He added that failures in self regulation often push the burden back onto government intervention, underscoring the need for stronger, more proactive oversight.
One of the more nuanced debates centred on whether building trust comes at a cost. While Sahoo acknowledged that quality and compliance can increase costs, he argued that companies must absorb them as part of their long term strategy.
Bhasin, however, framed the challenge differently not as cost, but as competitiveness in a market where not all players play by the same rules. “The real tension is when others cut corners and you choose not to,” he said.
The panel concluded with a call to embed trust into business metrics.
Sahoo suggested that organisations must go beyond revenue targets to include consumer equity and trust based KPIs, ensuring that ethical considerations are not sidelined in the pursuit of growth. “Trust sounds abstract, but it can translate into measurable consumer equity,” he said.
As the discussion wrapped up, one message stood out: the rules of advertising are being rewritten not just by regulators, but by consumers themselves. In an ecosystem where attention is fleeting and scepticism is high, brands that merely comply may survive, but those that build trust are the ones that endure.
