Kanika Kalra Joins Google as Director of Consumer Apps & Platforms Marketing

Kanika Kalra takes on the role of Director of Consumer Apps and Platforms Marketing at Google India, leading strategy and growth for key products including Google Search, Maps, Android, Photos, and Chrome. She joins from Reckitt, where she served as Regional Marketing Director for Health in South Asia from April 2024 to March 2026, overseeing marketing for the health portfolio across the region.
Kalra brings over 20 years of experience spanning consulting, technology, and consumer goods, having spent six years as Partner at McKinsey & Company in Mumbai, advising on growth strategy, marketing transformation, and consumer engagement. She also held VP Marketing at Snapdeal and Global Brand Director at Unilever for Fair & Lovely, alongside roles at Hindustan Unilever, PepsiCo Foods, and GSK Consumer Healthcare.
Google VP Marketing Shekhar Khosla welcomes Kalra, noting her leadership will be pivotal as the company reimagines consumer apps through AI, with Gemini enabling intuitive experiences at India scale. A PGDM graduate from IIM Lucknow and BA Mathematics from Lady Shri Ram College, Kalra returns to tech marketing after her consulting and FMCG stints.
This appointment bolsters Google’s consumer marketing amid AI-driven product evolution in India’s competitive digital landscape.