Milton has named Somasree Bose Awasthi as Business Unit Head, strengthening its senior leadership. Formerly Chief Marketing Officer at Marico and Godrej Consumer Products, Awasthi brings over two decades of FMCG experience, with a strong track record in brand building, innovation and marketing capability development.
Milton has appointed Somasree Bose Awasthi as its new Business Unit Head, marking a significant leadership move for the brand as it sharpens its focus on growth, innovation and market relevance in an increasingly competitive consumer landscape. Awasthi brings with her more than two decades of experience in building large consumer brands, having most recently served as Chief Marketing Officer at Marico, where she played a pivotal role in strengthening the company’s marketing engine and innovation agenda.
Her appointment comes at a time when Milton, a household name in India’s food storage, cookware and thermoware segments, is navigating a market shaped by evolving consumer expectations, premiumisation and faster innovation cycles. With consumers demanding products that combine functionality, design and sustainability, the role of a Business Unit Head has expanded beyond operational oversight to include sharp brand thinking, consumer insight–led decision-making and cross-functional leadership. In that context, Awasthi’s background in marketing-led growth is seen as a strategic fit.
At Marico, Awasthi was widely credited with building institutional muscle in marketing. Her tenure was marked by an emphasis on strengthening marketing talent, sharpening processes and modernising ways of working across teams. She helped embed a more structured and consumer-centric approach to brand building, while also contributing to the creation of a robust innovation pipeline. This focus on sustainable, long-term capability building, rather than short-term campaign success, became a defining feature of her leadership style and is expected to inform her approach at Milton.
Before her role at Marico, Awasthi spent over a decade and a half at Godrej Consumer Products, where she charted a steady rise through the organisation. Joining the company in 2007 as Deputy General Manager, she worked across some of its most recognisable brands, including Godrej No. 1, Cinthol, Protekt and Godrej Aer. Over the years, she took on increasingly senior responsibilities, gaining hands-on experience across categories that demanded very different consumer propositions—from mass soaps to premium home care and personal hygiene brands.
In 2021, she was elevated to the role of Chief Marketing Officer at Godrej Consumer Products, a position that placed her at the centre of the company’s brand and growth strategy. As CMO, she was responsible for shaping brand vision, driving innovation-led growth and responding to shifts in consumer behaviour, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Her work during this period underscored the importance of agility, data-driven marketing and clear brand purpose—capabilities that are likely to be relevant as Milton looks to refresh and expand its portfolio.
Awasthi’s professional journey began in 2002 at CavinKare, where she joined as a summer intern. That early exposure to fast-moving consumer goods set the foundation for her career in marketing. She subsequently moved to Godrej Sara Lee as Marketing Manager, gaining further experience in managing established brands and navigating competitive categories. These formative roles provided her with a broad-based understanding of Indian consumers across price points and regions, shaping the strategic lens she would later bring to senior leadership roles.
Academically, Awasthi’s credentials reflect a strong blend of engineering and management training. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Industrial Engineering from RKNEC, Nagpur, completed in 2001, and an MBA from the Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, which she earned in 2003. This combination of analytical rigour and business education has often been cited by colleagues as a factor in her structured yet creative approach to problem-solving.
At Milton, Awasthi’s mandate as Business Unit Head is expected to span brand stewardship, portfolio strategy and operational leadership. While the company has not detailed specific priorities, industry observers suggest that her appointment signals an intent to further strengthen Milton’s brand architecture and innovation pipeline. As competition intensifies from both established players and newer, design-led brands, the ability to translate consumer insights into differentiated products will be critical.
Milton’s leadership decision also reflects a broader trend in Indian consumer companies: placing senior marketers in roles with P&L and business unit responsibilities. This shift acknowledges that in mature categories, growth increasingly comes from deeper consumer understanding, sharper positioning and faster innovation rather than scale alone. Awasthi’s track record of combining brand thinking with execution rigour positions her well for such a role.
Colleagues from her previous organisations often describe Awasthi as a leader who invests strongly in people and systems. At Marico, she was instrumental in strengthening marketing capabilities across levels, ensuring that teams were equipped not just to execute campaigns but to think strategically about brand purpose and long-term value creation. This focus on building repeatable processes and talent depth could prove valuable at Milton as it looks to future-proof its business.
Her experience across multiple consumer categories also gives her a nuanced understanding of how brands can stay relevant amid changing lifestyles. From personal care and hygiene to household products, Awasthi has worked in segments where trust, utility and emotional connection all play crucial roles. Translating these learnings to Milton’s core categories could help the brand engage a younger, more design-conscious consumer without alienating its loyal base.
As she steps into her new role, Awasthi joins Milton at a point where the brand is both well-established and at an inflexion point. With strong recall and distribution, the challenge lies in sustaining growth while continuously reinventing the offer. Her appointment suggests a belief that the next phase of Milton’s journey will be driven as much by strategic brand leadership as by operational excellence.
For Awasthi, the move represents a new chapter after years of shaping marketing strategy at large FMCG companies. As Business Unit Head, her influence will extend beyond communication and innovation into the broader business architecture. How she balances these responsibilities will be closely watched by the industry, particularly as more companies look to marketers to take on holistic business leadership roles.
In appointing Somasree Bose Awasthi, Milton has signalled its intent to combine its legacy strengths with a renewed focus on consumer-centric growth. The coming months will reveal how her experience across some of India’s most competitive consumer brands translates into fresh momentum for a name that has long been part of everyday Indian life.
