Team Siliconindia

• Danone India appoints Priyanka Verma as Chief Marketing Officer, effective July 2025.
• Verma brings over 16 years of experience from Hindustan Unilever, having led brands like Horlicks, Boost, Knorr, and Kwality Wall’s.
• As CMO, she will spearhead brand strategy, innovation, and digital transformation in Danone’s milk and nutrition portfolio in India.

Danone India has officially announced the appointment of Priyanka Verma as its Chief Marketing Officer, who will join in July 2025. Verma comes with more than sixteen years of deep experience, largely from Hindustan Unilever Limited where she developed and grew multiple brands and managed cross-functional roles in marketing, trade, and P&L management.

An MBA in Marketing from an alumna of the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi and a B.E. in Electrical & Electronics from Punjab Engineering College, Verma started her career in 2009 at Unilever as a Business Leadership Trainee. She grew through various leadership roles across sales, marketing, customer promotion and portfolio management across categories like foods, beverages, personal care, and nutrition over the years.

Most recently at Unilever, she was the head of the Functional Nutrition Portfolio which had its flagship brands like Horlicks, Boost, and Horlicks PLUS. Earlier, she was responsible for the Horlicks High Science portfolio and medical marketing for over four years. Verma was also responsible for marketing initiatives for Knorr and Kwality Wall's, and customer marketing head for the Foods & Refreshment business. Her track record is based on profound consumer understanding, effective channel strategy, portfolio innovation, and a deep shopper behavior insight that has fueled successful growth across a range of different segments.

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In her new role at Danone, Verma will be tasked with driving brand strategy, developing innovation, and heading digital transformation programs that are aligned with the company's mission of delivering health through food to as many people as possible. Her hiring occurs at a time when Danone is looking to invest in building its portfolio in the areas of milk and nutrition in India.

Her promotion has been honored by her alma mater FMS Delhi, which featured her career progression through personal care and foods categories, praising her contribution in developing and scaling up brands while demonstrating leadership qualities of ownership mindset, hunger to grow, and team-first philosophy. Verma is firmly recognized as a remarkable woman leader in the Indian marketing space, being an inspiring role model for future generations of talent.

With Priyanka Verma at the marketing reins, Danone India seems set to step up its innovation, relevance to consumers, and brand uplift in nutrition-driven products in the Indian market.