According to industry insiders, Shailesh Jejurikar’s rise to the top of Procter & Gamble reflects not just professional competence but a deeply personal journey of adaptation, grit, and curiosity.
As the 59-year-old executive prepares to take over as President and CEO of the 187-year-old consumer goods giant on January 1, 2026, he becomes the first Asian — and the first Indian — to hold the top job at the iconic American multinational. Currently serving as Chief Operating Officer, Jejurikar oversees operations across key global markets, including Latin America, India, West Asia, Africa, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. He also leads P&G’s core functions — marketing, manufacturing, sales, IT, and distribution.
The transition comes at a challenging juncture for Cincinnati-headquartered P&G. Amid mounting pressure from rising tariffs and global economic uncertainty, the company recently announced a price hike on 25% of its U.S. portfolio, effective August. The move, while necessary, is expected to slow down already strained sales. P&G has also revised its sales forecast for FY26 to a modest 1% to 5%, with projected earnings growth plateauing at 4%.
In a media interaction on Tuesday, outgoing CEO Jon Moeller described Jejurikar as a leader with “a strong track record of delivering profitable growth,” adding that the company is “in very good hands.” Moeller will transition to the role of Executive Chairman, supporting Jejurikar through the leadership handover.
Jejurikar’s leadership journey is deeply rooted in values he first cultivated as a schoolboy in Hyderabad. As head boy in the early 1980s, he learned to lead with empathy, listen intently, and set an example through action rather than authority — habits that have shaped his leadership ethos at every step of his 36-year career at P&G. “When you unlock an insight with curiosity, the power to drive limitless growth is huge,” he said in a 2023 episode of the P&G Alumni Podcast.
A graduate of IIM Lucknow with a background in liberal economics and management, Jejurikar is among a rare group of global CEOs whose entire education was completed in India. His steady rise through the corporate ranks — from assistant brand manager in 1989 to COO — has been driven, peers say, by a combination of intellectual curiosity, adaptability, and relentless work ethic.
He has also built a reputation as a global executive, with international assignments that have taken him from India to Africa, Southeast Asia, Australia, and North America. In 1996, just seven years into his career at P&G, a 30-year-old Jejurikar accepted his first overseas posting as marketing manager for East Africa. Relocating to Nairobi with his young family, he found himself operating with full autonomy in a flat organisational structure, overseeing everything from plant to warehouse to sales. “It was like running a start-up,” he recalled in the same podcast. “I could basically be me.”
That formative experience, he said, was “liberating” and marked the beginning of a leadership journey where authenticity and self-awareness became cornerstones. The need to “recognise strengths and play to them” has stayed with him ever since.
But Jejurikar now faces what may be his most difficult challenge yet: leading a major restructuring of P&G over the next two years. The company plans to slash nearly 7,000 non-manufacturing jobs and streamline its portfolio by exiting select product categories and brands. The goal is to become more agile in an evolving global marketplace where premium Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) brands and regional competitors are rapidly reshaping consumer preferences.
In this environment, India, which contributes only 2.5% to P&G’s global revenue and remains significantly smaller than rival Hindustan Unilever, represents untapped potential. Jejurikar, who visits India at least thrice annually, is expected to reassess the company’s local strategy as part of a broader push to accelerate growth in emerging markets.
Colleagues describe him as someone who constantly pushes boundaries, both personal and professional. Even after nearly four decades at P&G, Jejurikar’s leadership journey is far from over. The boy who once balanced cricket matches with school responsibilities in Hyderabad is now preparing to lead a global behemoth through one of the most pivotal phases in its history — with the same humility, curiosity, and unwavering focus that launched his career all those years ago.