Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, February 2026 – Diageo India has appointed Chinmay Sharma as its new Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), marking a significant leadership move as the organisation strengthens its people strategy at the top.
Chinmay joins DIAGEO India with extensive global HR leadership experience across pharmaceuticals, FMCG, and multinational organisations. Most recently, he served at GSK as HR Business Leader – Performance Emerging Markets, following his tenure as CHRO & Executive Vice President – Human Resources, India. In that role, he led the HR function for a large, publicly listed pharmaceutical business in India, driving culture transformation, workforce strategy, and change initiatives aligned to the “#NewGSK” vision.
Prior to GSK, Chinmay spent nearly nine years at Philip Morris International across multiple international leadership roles. His experience included Director People & Culture – Malaysia, Director HR – Reduced Risk Products (Switzerland), Director HR – Hong Kong, Macau & Asia Headquarters, and Head Talent Acquisition – Asia. During this period, he led large-scale organisational transformation initiatives, built regional talent acquisition infrastructure across 16 markets, and shaped agile, capability-driven operating models in new business categories.
Earlier in his career, Chinmay spent over eight years with Procter & Gamble, where he held progressive HR leadership roles across Talent Acquisition, Learning & Development, Compensation & Benefits, Organisation Effectiveness, and Sales HR. He began his HR career at Gillette (prior to its integration into P&G), working in a manufacturing environment and gaining foundational experience in employee relations and workforce culture.
Chinmay holds a Human Resource Development Program certification from Cornell University (School of Industrial and Labour Relations) and a PGDM (MBA) in Human Resource Management from Symbiosis Centre For Management and Human Resource Development.
About DIAGEO India
Diageo India, incorporated in India as United Spirits Limited (USL), is among the country’s leading beverage alcohol companies and a subsidiary of Diageo Plc. Headquartered in Bengaluru, the company manufactures, sells, and distributes a portfolio of premium brands including Johnnie Walker, Black Dog, Black & White, VAT 69, Antiquity, Signature, The Singleton, Royal Challenge, McDowell’s No1, Smirnoff, Ketel One, Tanqueray, Captain Morgan, and Godawan. With over 3,000 employees and 37 manufacturing facilities across India, DIAGEO India continues to strengthen its leadership in the premium spirits segment.
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