Diageo India Appoints Chinmay Sharma as Chief Human Resources Officer

Diageo India has appointed Chinmay Sharma as its Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) and a member of the company’s Executive Committee, marking an important leadership transition in the organisation’s people strategy.

The appointment was announced by the company on LinkedIn. Sharma succeeds Shilpa Vaid, who has moved into a new role as Regional HR Director for APAC and Global Travel at Diageo.

Sharma brings over two decades of global human resources leadership experience, having worked with several multinational companies across different regions. His expertise spans talent strategy, organisational transformation, leadership development and capability building, areas that are increasingly critical for large global consumer businesses.

Prior to joining Diageo India, Sharma served as HR Business Leader for Performance Emerging Markets at GSK, based in London. In this role, he led people strategy across multiple high-growth markets, supporting business expansion while strengthening organisational capability and leadership development frameworks.

Earlier, he held the role of Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive Vice President – Human Resources at GSK India, where he led the company’s HR strategy and drove key organisational transformation initiatives aimed at improving workforce agility and performance.

Before his tenure at GSK, Sharma spent nearly nine years at Philip Morris International, where he held senior HR leadership roles across several international markets including Malaysia, Hong Kong and Switzerland. These roles enabled him to build extensive experience in cross-border leadership development, cultural transformation and global talent management.

Sharma began his professional career with Procter & Gamble, where he gained early experience in global HR operations and talent management, building a strong foundation in people strategy within multinational organisations.

His appointment comes at a time when Diageo continues to strengthen its leadership team in India, one of the company’s key growth markets. As multinational consumer companies navigate evolving workforce expectations and complex market dynamics, strategic HR leadership plays a central role in building organisational resilience and sustaining long-term growth.

In his new role, Sharma will lead Diageo India’s people agenda, focusing on strengthening talent pipelines, fostering leadership capability and driving organisational effectiveness. As a member of the Executive Committee, he will also contribute to key business decisions as the company continues to expand its presence and operations in the Indian market.