Brands
Product of the Year relaunches in India to police innovation claims
New logo, global muscle and consumer research power India reboot
MUMBAI: Product of the Year (POY), the global consumer-voted platform for product innovation, has relaunched in India with a refreshed identity and a sharper ambition: to become the country’s benchmark for consumer-validated innovation.
The relaunch introduces a new logo, renewed positioning and an expanded role that goes beyond an annual award. Operating in more than 40 countries, POY positions itself as an independent validation platform backed by large-scale consumer research, rather than jury-led opinion.
The POY mark has previously been carried by major global and Indian companies including Hindustan Unilever, P&G, Nestlé, ITC, Marico, Godrej, L’Oréal, Samsung, Philips, Havells, Haier, ICICI Prudential Life, Axis Max Life and Tata AIA Life Insurance.
Product of the Year global CEO Mike Nolan, said the programme was built on a simple idea: innovation must be validated by consumers, not claimed by brands. He described India as one of the world’s most dynamic innovation markets, where trust and credibility increasingly shape purchase decisions.
In India, POY will be backed by NielsenIQ as its exclusive research partner, with winners determined through independent consumer evaluation of real products and services. The platform aims to help brands move from marketing claims to evidence, particularly as categories become crowded with “new” and “improved” messaging.
Product of the Year India CEO Raj Arora, said brands are investing heavily in R&D and consumer-centric innovation, but credibility remains the missing link. The relaunched platform, he said, is designed to serve as proof: helping brands strengthen launches, support premiumisation and signal innovation maturity to leadership and trade partners.
POY is positioning itself as a brand-building and validation platform, enabling winners to leverage the recognition across retail, media, digital campaigns and consumer touchpoints.
Entries for the upcoming edition of Product of the Year India are now open, with winners earning the right to carry the globally recognised POY mark following NielsenIQ-led consumer research.
Brands
Lululemon picks former Nike executive to be its next chief
Heidi O’Neill, who helped grow Nike into a $45 billion giant, will take the top job in September
CANADA: Lululemon has found its next chief executive, and she comes with serious credentials. The athleisure giant named Heidi O’Neill as its new CEO on Wednesday, ending a search that has left the company running on interim leadership since earlier this year. O’Neill will take charge on September 8, 2026, based out of Vancouver, and will join the board on the same day.
O’Neill brings more than three decades of experience across performance apparel, footwear and sport. The bulk of that time was spent at Nike, where she was a central figure in one of corporate sport’s great growth stories, helping take the company from a $9 billion business to a $45 billion global powerhouse. She oversaw product pipelines, brand strategy and consumer connections, and played a significant role in shaping how Nike spoke to athletes around the world. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing for the Dockers brand at Levi Strauss. She also brings boardroom experience from Spotify Technology, Hyatt Hotels and Lithia and Driveway.
The board was unequivocal in its enthusiasm. “We selected Heidi because of the breadth of her experience, her demonstrated success delivering breakthrough ideas and initiatives at scale, and her ability to be a knowledgeable change and growth agent,” said Marti Morfitt, executive chair of Lululemon’s board.
O’Neill, for her part, was bullish. “Lululemon is an iconic brand with something rare: genuine guest love, a product ethos rooted in innovation, and a global platform still in the early stages of its potential,” she said. “My job will be to accelerate product breakthroughs, deepen the brand’s cultural relevance, and unlock growth in markets around the world.”
Until she arrives, Meghan Frank and André Maestrini will continue as interim co-CEOs, before returning to their previous senior leadership roles once O’Neill steps in.
Lululemon is betting that a Nike veteran who helped build one of the world’s most powerful sports brands can do something similar for an athleisure label that has genuine love from its customers but is still chasing its full global potential. O’Neill has done it before at scale. The question now is whether she can do it again.
