Who is Kedar Lele? Haleon announces ex-Castrol India MD as new president for India subcontinent
Haleon on Friday announced the appointment of Kedar Lele as the new President of the Indian Subcontinent, which remained vacant for some time. Lele joins the consumer healthcare company from Castrol India Ltd, where he served as Managing Director.
According to the company’s official statement, the senior executive will officially assume his new role from this month and will take over from former ISC Managing Director Navneet Saluja, who retired in October 2025 after a distinguished tenure.
Lele built an extensive career at Hindustan Unilever Ltd, where he worked for nearly two decades before joining Castrol. During his tenure, he held many senior positions in different functions.
Haleon is the company that manufactures and distributes well-known consumer products such as Eno, Sensodyne, Iodex and Crocin, which are sold widely throughout the country.
Kedar Lele’s role and responsibilities
In this role, Lele will also be a member of the Haleon Executive Team (HET), the company’s global leadership forum, further strengthening alignment with the organization’s “Win as One” strategy, the company said.
He has over 25 years of experience across various industries including Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), advertising, digital innovation and the automotive industry.
“As Chairman of ISC, Lele will continue India’s leadership in strengthening Haleon’s ambition to reach 1 billion more consumers by 2030 and advance its purpose of delivering better daily health to humanity,” the company said in a statement.
Previous experience of the new President
Prior to his tenure at Castrol, Lele spent two decades at Hindustan Unilever Ltd; where he held senior positions including Executive Director of Sales and Customer Development in South Asia and Chairman and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Lele spent almost a year and a half at Castrol. He also worked as a marketing executive at Kimberly-Clark Lever Ltd in the past.
Lele holds an MBA in Strategic Marketing and Operations from Indian School of Business and a postgraduate diploma in Marketing Communications from MICA, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
He also serves on the board of directors of TVS Automobile Solutions and previously served as Vice President of the Bangladesh Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
What does Haleon do?
Haleon in India is a consumer healthcare company offering over-the-counter (OTC) products to meet daily health needs. It is initially a UK-based company with operations worldwide.
Haleon India currently focuses on oral care, digestive health, pain management, respiratory health and Vitamin and Mineral Supplements. It owns important brands such as Eno, Sensodyne, Iodex, Crocin, Otrivin, Centrum, Ostocalcium, Parodontax and Polident.
