Rohan Kulkarni Appointed as Senior Director – On-Premise (Away from Home Business), India at The Coca-Cola Company. Championing Consumer Experience, Strategic Partnerships & Omni-Channel Growth Across India’s Fast-Evolving Beverage Landscape
In a defining milestone for the beverage and consumer-experience ecosystem in India, Rohan Kulkarni has been appointed Senior Director – On-Premise (Away from Home Business), India at The Coca-Cola Company.
This role places him at the helm of one of the most exciting and rapidly expanding spaces in the beverage industry — the Away From Home (AFH) segment, covering QSR giants, multiplex chains, hospitality networks, and out-of-home consumption zones across India.
With over 15 years of leadership across GTM architecture, modern trade, digital commerce, regional marketing, customer value creation, and large-scale commercial operations, Rohan brings a rare mix of strategic clarity, operational excellence, and consumer-first thinking.
His appointment reflects Coca-Cola’s commitment to elevating consumer experience beyond retail — into the places where people eat, watch, unwind, travel, and connect.
Stepping Into Strategic Leadership at Coca-Cola India
Driving Growth Across QSRs, Cinemas & Hotel Chains
In his role as Senior Director – On-Premise, Rohan leads:
- National AFH business strategy
- Partnerships with India’s top QSR operators
- Beverage category expansion across multiplex circuits
- Portfolio execution in hotel chains & travel hubs
- Channel-led innovation & experience activation
- Multi-region expansion with a focus on high-growth urban markets
His mandate is central to redefining India’s beverage consumption moments — shaping how consumers experience Coca-Cola across dining, entertainment, and hospitality ecosystems.
This appointment is a testament to his proven ability to align consumer behaviour, customer partnerships, and execution excellence into a unified growth engine.
Head of Region Marketing (North & West India): Scaling a ₹12,000+ Crore Business
From 2024 to 2025, Rohan spearheaded consumer marketing for North and West India, one of Coca-Cola’s largest regional clusters.
Key Responsibilities & Achievements
✔ Built consumer marketing plans for a ₹12,000+ crore business
✔ Designed portfolio strategy aligned with national priorities
✔ Drove region-specific integrated campaigns
✔ Strengthened customer marketing capabilities
✔ Led market share growth initiatives across diverse geographies
This role highlighted his strengths in decoding complex consumer ecosystems and orchestrating large-scale commercial impact.
Director – Integrated Execution & Incubation (Modern Trade & Digital Commerce)
Where Strategy, Customer Needs & Execution Converge
In this high-impact mandate, Rohan led:
- Integrated brand execution across the Top 50 customers
- Planning across modern trade & digital commerce
- Supply chain synchronisation with bottling operations
- New product launch strategies in organised retail
- Customer-focused activation and digital-first planning
He became instrumental in bridging brand ambition with customer experience — ensuring that Coca-Cola’s products are discovered, purchased, and enjoyed seamlessly across India’s most influential retail networks.
Customer Value Creation Strategy: Fueling Modern Trade & eCommerce Growth
As Lead, Customer Value Creation Strategy, Rohan built long-term category growth models across Modern Trade & Digital Commerce for India and Southwest Asia.
His key contributions included:
✔ Strategic customer engagement frameworks
✔ Multi-year portfolio & channel expansion roadmaps
✔ Data-led revenue growth initiatives
✔ Aligned category priorities across regional & global teams
His work helped Coca-Cola scale efficiently across emerging digital ecosystems and modern retail formats.
RTM Excellence: Strengthening the Coca-Cola System
Rohan’s earlier roles in Route-to-Market (RTM) & Market Execution were foundational to:
- Designing franchise bottling execution strategies
- Building robust channel & commercial plans
- Setting market execution standards across regions
- Expanding coverage through strategic RTM redesign
These experiences shaped his understanding of how consumer demand flows from plant to market to consumption.
Procter & Gamble: A World-Class GTM Foundation
Before joining Coca-Cola, Rohan spent 8+ years at Procter & Gamble, where he shaped India’s GTM architecture in multiple leadership roles.
Major Achievements at P&G
✔ Designed national GTM frameworks
✔ Built digital selling tools & data-driven sales enablers
✔ Implemented Perfect Call standards for frontline teams
✔ Led distributor financial transformation
✔ Managed a $50M+ business in Kolkata
✔ Served as National Account Manager for Spencer’s Retail
✔ Awarded Best Key Account Manager for India
This P&G experience sharpened his strategic, commercial, and analytical capabilities — all essential for modern FMCG leadership.
Early Career: Cognizant & Analytical Grounding
Rohan began his career at Cognizant as an Analyst, building early exposure to structured problem-solving, analytical modelling, and stakeholder alignment — skills that continue to reflect in his leadership style.
Leadership Philosophy: Insight-Driven, Market-Focused, People-Centric
Throughout his journey, Rohan has demonstrated a leadership ethos grounded in:
Consumer Truths
Build strategy around real behaviours and emerging trends.
Customer Partnerships
Grow by unlocking win–win value with customers.
Execution Excellence
No strategy succeeds without disciplined, market-ready execution.
Team Empowerment
Great teams build great businesses.
Sustainable Growth
Balance today’s KPIs with tomorrow’s opportunities.
His ability to balance structured thinking with on-ground reality makes him a standout leader in India’s FMCG ecosystem.
CXO Gateway Reflection
At CXO Gateway, we view Rohan Kulkarni’s appointment as Senior Director – On-Premise at The Coca-Cola Company as an important leadership transition for the beverage industry in India.
His journey — from GTM transformation at P&G to regional marketing leadership at Coca-Cola, and now to building experience-led growth across India’s on-premise ecosystem — exemplifies the evolution of next-generation commercial leaders.
In an era where consumer experiences extend far beyond retail shelves, leaders like Rohan are shaping how brands become part of everyday moments — meals, movies, travel, and social occasions.