Reckitt has named Anandi Shankar as Regional Human Resources Director for South Asia to strengthen leadership and organisational capability. With over 21 years at Unilever, she will drive people strategy, talent development and high-performance culture as Reckitt accelerates growth and expands its health and hygiene impact across the region.
Reckitt has announced the appointment of Anandi Shankar as Regional Human Resources Director for South Asia, a move that underscores the company’s focus on strengthening leadership depth and organisational capability at a time when the region is central to its global growth ambitions. The appointment comes as Reckitt accelerates efforts to expand its footprint and deepen its impact across South Asia, where health, hygiene and nutrition needs remain both vast and urgent.
In her new role, Shankar will work closely with senior business leaders across markets to shape and execute the people agenda that underpins Reckitt’s purpose-led strategy. Her mandate spans enhancing organisational capabilities, strengthening leadership pipelines, and fostering a high-performance culture that can support sustained growth in complex and fast-evolving markets. At the heart of her responsibility is aligning talent strategy with Reckitt’s ambition to improve health and hygiene outcomes for more than 1.8 billion consumers across South Asia.
South Asia represents one of Reckitt’s most strategically important regions, marked by high population density, rapid urbanisation, changing consumer behaviour and rising expectations around health, cleanliness and wellbeing. Brands such as Dettol, Harpic, Durex and Vanish are already deeply embedded in everyday life across many households in the region, often serving as trusted solutions in areas ranging from infection prevention and sanitation to sexual wellbeing and fabric care. As the company looks to expand reach and relevance across diverse socio-economic and cultural contexts, leadership and people capability are increasingly seen as critical enablers of long-term success.
Shankar’s appointment reflects this strategic emphasis on people as a growth driver. In her role, she is expected to lead initiatives around leadership development, succession planning, capability building and organisational transformation, ensuring that teams across South Asia are equipped to deliver against ambitious business and social goals. Her remit also includes nurturing a culture that balances performance with purpose, a defining element of Reckitt’s global identity.
Reckitt has consistently positioned itself as a purpose-led organisation, with a stated mission to protect, heal and nurture in the relentless pursuit of a cleaner, healthier world. In South Asia, this purpose takes on added significance, given the scale of public health challenges and disparities in access to hygiene and sanitation. From hand hygiene campaigns to sanitation awareness and maternal health initiatives, Reckitt’s brands often operate at the intersection of commerce and public good. Strengthening organisational capability in this context requires leaders who can navigate complexity, inspire teams, and embed purpose into everyday decision-making.
Shankar brings to the role more than two decades of experience in human resources leadership, most recently from her 21-year career at Unilever. During her time there, she held multiple strategic HR roles across functions, categories and geographies, building a reputation for driving large-scale people initiatives and organisational transformation. Her experience spans talent management, leadership development, change management and the design of agile organisations, skills that are particularly relevant as large consumer goods companies adapt to shifting market dynamics.
At Unilever, Shankar worked across global and regional roles, gaining exposure to diverse markets and business models. This breadth of experience is expected to serve her well at Reckitt, where South Asia encompasses markets at very different stages of economic development, regulatory maturity and consumer behaviour. From highly competitive urban centres to underserved rural areas, the region demands nuanced people strategies that can support both scale and local relevance.
Industry observers note that senior HR appointments are increasingly being viewed not just as support functions but as strategic roles critical to business outcomes. In sectors such as fast-moving consumer goods, where competition for talent is intense and the pace of change is rapid, the ability to attract, develop and retain the right people can significantly influence market performance. Reckitt’s decision to bring in a leader with deep experience in organisational transformation signals an intent to future-proof its workforce and leadership bench.
Shankar’s role will also involve strengthening talent pipelines across South Asia, ensuring that the organisation is well-positioned to meet both current and future leadership needs. This includes identifying high-potential talent, accelerating development journeys, and building inclusive leadership capabilities that reflect the diversity of the region’s markets and consumers. As conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion gain prominence globally and in India in particular, HR leaders are increasingly expected to play a central role in translating intent into measurable outcomes.
Another key aspect of her mandate is supporting Reckitt’s expansion plans in the region. As the company looks to broaden distribution, introduce new product formats and deepen penetration in emerging categories, organisational agility becomes crucial. HR strategy, in this context, extends beyond traditional workforce management to include building skills for digital transformation, data-driven decision-making and cross-functional collaboration.
Reckitt’s South Asia operations operate in an environment shaped by rapid technological adoption, evolving regulatory frameworks and heightened consumer awareness around health and sustainability. Navigating this landscape requires leaders who can balance speed with responsibility, innovation with compliance, and growth with social impact. Shankar’s experience in managing complex stakeholder environments and leading change at scale is likely to be a key asset as Reckitt continues to adapt and evolve.
Her appointment also comes at a time when companies are rethinking the role of work and leadership in the post-pandemic world. Issues such as employee wellbeing, flexible work models, and purpose-driven engagement have moved from the margins to the mainstream of corporate strategy. For a company like Reckitt, whose products are closely linked to health and wellbeing, there is an added expectation that internal practices reflect external commitments.
As Regional Human Resources Director for South Asia, Shankar is expected to play a pivotal role in embedding these priorities into the organisation’s fabric. By aligning people strategy with business and societal goals, she will be central to ensuring that Reckitt’s growth in the region is not only commercially successful but also sustainable and inclusive.
The appointment signals continuity as well as change. While Reckitt builds on its strong legacy of trusted brands and market presence in South Asia, it is also preparing for the next phase of growth, one that demands new capabilities, new ways of working and a renewed focus on leadership. Bringing in a seasoned HR leader with a track record across global markets suggests a deliberate investment in the foundations required for that journey.
As Shankar takes on her new role, all eyes will be on how Reckitt translates its people strategy into tangible outcomes on the ground. In a region where the company’s products touch millions of lives every day, the effectiveness of its leadership and workforce will play a defining role in shaping both business success and social impact in the years ahead.
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