Gurugram, Haryana, India, September 2025 – Smit Shukla has been elevated to Country Head, Philips Personal Health, India Subcontinent, following an impactful stint as Chief Marketing Leader at Philips India, where he led the marketing function with P&L accountability and delivered sustained hypergrowth through strategic innovation and team excellence.
In his previous role, Smit was instrumental in repositioning Philips Personal Health as a category leader in India. He turned around the business to achieve consistent high double-digit growth, pioneered a Gen Z-focused marketing playbook that tripled volume run rates, and led a premium portfolio expansion that included launches in electric shavers, beauty devices, and mother and child care categories. Under his leadership, Philips made a highly successful foray into quick commerce, scaling from zero to ₹100 crore in one year and dramatically increasing market share from 5% to 35% in just six months.
Before rejoining Philips, Smit co-founded Cosmos by Twill, a start-up venture aimed at disrupting the kids’ fast fashion ecosystem. Although the initiative was paused, it showcased his entrepreneurial spirit and ability to take bold strategic bets.
Earlier, Smit had a dynamic leadership run at Urban Company, where he served as VP – Growth Marketing Head – India and later VP – Marketing – Personal Care & Cleaning. During his tenure, he launched “Native,” a new D2C water purifier brand that achieved ₹100 crore ARR, redesigned growth models for core categories like cleaning and painting, and transformed the company’s beauty and wellness propositions. He also led one of India’s most disruptive campaigns for cleaning services, which won the Brand Equity Most Disruptive Campaign Award.
Prior to that, Smit held leadership roles at Reckitt, where he was Senior Brand Manager for Dettol and Durex. At Dettol, he helped the brand become the market leader in germ-kill categories and drove significant penetration growth. His work on Durex campaigns, including the highly awarded Durex Jeans and Durex Air launches, earned him the Marketer of the Year award at RB.
Smit started his career with GSK, where he held multiple roles including Zonal Sales Manager and Trade Brand Manager, earning several internal accolades for performance and leadership, including a nomination to the One Young World Program in Pittsburgh.
With over 16 years of rich experience in marketing, sales, category strategy, and entrepreneurship across healthcare, consumer goods, and services, Smit brings a rare blend of creative thinking, strategic leadership, and execution excellence to his new role at Philips.
About Philips
Philips is a global leader in health technology, committed to improving people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation. With a goal to improve 2.5 billion lives annually by 2030, including 400 million in underserved communities, Philips is transforming healthcare through connected, data-driven solutions that span prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. With a legacy of innovation and a presence in over 100 countries, Philips continues to find new ways to make life better for people everywhere.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work
