Gurtashika Gill

Head of Marketing - Oral Health (Global Brands - Sensodyne, Parodontax, Aquafresh, Corega) for 7 clusters within Middle East & Africa region (Turkey, GNE, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Africa). Responsible for P&L delivery of ~£300M. Delivered accelerated growth of 18% CAGR, 1.3X market with share acceleration of Parodontax (~30% gr) and turnaround of the biggest brand Sensodyne from share decline across all clusters to gains across 6/7 clusters. Delivery of hugely successful launches into new segments (Kids oral health, smartbrushes, teeth whitening). Consumer insight driven localization of global campaign ideas through a newly set up agency infrastructure, marketing capability upskill to enable digitally driven full funnel campaigns. Opening up new geographies under 'Africa acceleration programme' - Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and SSA(Kenya, French West Africa, Nigeria, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique) with category building programmes.

• Responsible for creating and embedding the global category growth strategy for GSK's oral health business covering 5-year growth plans, building blocks, performance management, stakeholder management of GSK's Marketing leadership team and Global leadership team.
• Closely collaborating with strategy team partners in other global categories, CMO's office and regions - Americas, EMEA and APAC.
• Achievements include creating a comprehensive category strategy document capturing WTP & HTW , supported by a rigorous situation assessment and competitive analysis aligned and appreciated across global and marketing leadership team, regional portfolio teams and serving as the over-arching framework for growth delivery.
• Led the embedding of vision, ambition, and strategic direction within the category by instituting governance, channelling communication (town halls, annual strategy event) to socialise and integrate strategy into everyday work.
• Collaborating with R&D on staying true to the category innovation strategy, resource allocation in line, monitoring and managing pipeline health, highlighting gaps and planning corrective action based on continuous evaluation.

• Responsible for the Horlicks Life Stage Extensions, a portfolio of 5 brands across Toddler and Adult (Men & Women) life stages.
• Delivered multiple projects across every brand since June’17 from insight led positioning work to conceptualising long term communication platforms, integrated connections across consumers, shoppers, experts and setting direction on innovation pipeline.
• Collaborated closely with market to deliver 8 projects on time in a newly set up category and market structure.
• Led the Women’s Horlicks new communication platform involving setting a new direction on strategy and source of growth and delivering the connections integrated with assets across consumer and shopper touchpoints.
• Leading to +17% sales volume growth, highest ever consumer trial rates, making it the fastest growing health food brand.
• Led repositioning work on the 3rd largest health drink brand, Junior Horlicks (£40 Mn), leading to growth turnaround after 2 years of slowing / declining sales.
• From 1% vol growth (2015), -7% vol growth (2016), -3% vol growth (2017) TO +6% vol growth (2018) and helped re-shape the future innovation pipeline in line with new brand positioning.
• Delivered the most superior category claim on growth through re-mining of available clinical data, in a record time of 3 months and launched in market in a record time of 5 months on Horlicks Growth Plus.
• Brand is showing sequential growth and 43% YTD Growth over SPLY.
• Overall, leading the portfolio from 1.5% Val Growth (0.3X of category) to 9.2% Val Growth (1.3X of category).
• Recognised at the Global GSK Marketing Awards’2018, as Marketer of the Year (Runner Up) for this work.

• Led the Biggest Turnaround in the brand’s history by delivering a 17% growth swing and reversing the negative growth trajectory on Boost, the 2nd largest brand for CH India business.
• Amid a category slowdown in 2014, crafted a growth strategy on the brand involving Two levers – 1) A new communication strategy and marketing programme to drive brand preference with the brand’s primary audience - Kids . 2) Reviving the access agenda to drive penetration among Category /Brand Non-Triers.
• Led the Insight & Analytics work to identify the right problem to solve with the support of lead-lag Analysis and Path Modelling outcomes.
• Followed by rigorous consumer insight work to set a clear direction on the marketing and communication task to be undertaken.
• Launched a new communication platform through a multi-touch point marketing programme that delivered the biggest Equity turnaround on the brand (+25% gain in Brand Imagery scores) making it reach highest ever levels on Brand Equity and see the fastest gain in Brand Shares (24.9% to 26.7%, +1.8% share gain in 6 months), resulting in the shift from No.2 to No.1 position in the largest category market.
• Closely collaborated with Category Team to create and launch a new Visual Brand Language to capture the key elements that reflect brand values and integrated it across all consumer and shopper touch points.
• Created a series of ‘many firsts’ on the brand in Digital Marketing interventions, A Cricket World Cup anthem (OLV) clocking 14 Million Views and rated No. 3 among Top 5 Content Videos by You Tube in Q1’15, 1st ever use of Blippar technology (Virtual Reality) in the category to digitally activate 100% of brand packs in the market with engaging content for kids.
• Launched App based games to reach 100,000 downloads in 8 weeks (>60% organic) and rated #11 (ipad), #40 (iphone), #12 (Android) and featured among the top apps in cricket on both ios and android stores for 4 weeks.
• Created a 1st ever 3-part Web Series (18 Mn Views) in the category with the biggest sporting icon in the market, winning accolades within GSK (Best Digital Campaign in 2018 GSK Global Marketing Excellence Awards) and externally (Gold @ Maddies’17, Silver @ Big Bang awards’17, Silver @ Smarties’17 wherein GSK toppled leaders like Unilever, Pepsico).
• Initiated an Expert Engagement Programme with Coaches in Top Sporting Academies in India, launching a partnership with Boost & Human Performance Lab in 2016.
• Academies include Prakash Padukone and Gopichand Academy for Badminton, and elite athletes like Saina Nehwal (Former World No.1) and P V Sindhu (Olympic Silver medallist).
• Revived the access strategy on the brand by establishing a Low Unit Pack Portfolio at the price points of MRP 5 and MRP 10, to deliver a 48% swing in growths, New Trial volumes increased by 20% and an incremental 5 Mn GBP topline added to business.
• Boost Turnaround won the Business Excellence Award in Categories & Brands, in 2016 and 2017.
• LUP Strategy won the Business Excellence Award in Commercial Execution, in 2016.
• Boost was ranked as the 7th Most Trusted Brand by Brand Equity in 2017 and up from rank 10 in the previous year.
• Brand attained its highest levels in all Equity Measures, Brand Salience (+20%), Brand Imagery (+25%), Brand Advantage (+28%), Brand Loyalty (+17%).
• Brand consistently delivered highest shares in last 4 years.
• Brand delivered its biggest turnaround in sales from 5 quarters of declining growths (-9%) to +7% sustained growth in the period post Restage.

• Leading the biggest re-launch of Horlicks, on the back of new, sharper and more competitive claims (Horlicks 5 signs of growth), helping the brand deliver 25% value growth (1.2X Category) and delivering a sustained share lead with significant margin against closest competitor.
• Launched the Horlicks Access Strategy with “Low Unit Packs” to drive penetration among lower SECs, delivering ahead of plan performance YoY (130% Growth, +2% Penetration gains).
• Built a unique demand generation model in media dark markets through use of innovative media vehicles and new media partnerships.
• Supported initiatives towards geographic expansion of Horlicks into North – West India, through locally relevant flavour marketing programmes, and 2 NPD launches.
• As a result, delivered 19% growth.
• Co-led a new CSR programme (Horlicks Aahar Abhiyaan) against Malnutrition for 2 years, across the Horlicks range with a 360-marketing programme for consumers, shoppers, customers, winning numerous internal and external accolades.
• Created Festival/Topical Activation programmes on Horlicks (Meet the Toppers in Exam Time, Chhatt Activation for East India, Ramadan Activation), each delivering significant impact on equity and sales.
• Driving Horlicks growths from 0.5X of category to 1.2X of Category.
• Recovered market share losses to competition. From 31.3% MS VAL to 35% MS VAL. Increasing the share gap with closest competitor from 16% to 26%.
• Awarded the Business Innovation Award for Horlicks Relaunch. Shortlisted in the final list for GSK Winning Edge awards (Winning Science in Action), 2012.
• Awarded the Business Innovation Award for Horlicks Low Unit Packs Strategy. Shortlisted in the final list for GSK Winning Edge awards (Commercial Excellence), 2012.
• Horlicks “Meet the Toppers” Exam Time Activation made it to the finals in CANNES as the shortlisted entry from Mindshare (Group M) India, 2013.
• Recognised for Individual contribution through CEO (Emma Walmsley) Winning Edge Award, 2013.

• Leading the biggest re-launch of Horlicks, on the back of new, sharper and more competitive claims (Horlicks 5 signs of growth), helping the brand deliver 25% value growth (1.2X Category) and delivering a sustained share lead with significant margin against closest competitor.
• Launched the Horlicks Access Strategy with “Low Unit Packs” to drive penetration among lower SECs, delivering ahead of plan performance YoY (130% Growth, +2% Penetration gains).
• Built a unique demand generation model in media dark markets through use of innovative media vehicles and new media partnerships.
• Supported initiatives towards geographic expansion of Horlicks into North – West India, through locally relevant flavour marketing programmes, and 2 NPD launches.
• As a result, delivered 19% growth.
• Co-led a new CSR programme (Horlicks Aahar Abhiyaan) against Malnutrition for 2 years, across the Horlicks range with a 360-marketing programme for consumers, shoppers, customers, winning numerous internal and external accolades.
• Created Festival/Topical Activation programmes on Horlicks (Meet the Toppers in Exam Time, Chhatt Activation for East India, Ramadan Activation), each delivering significant impact on equity and sales.

• Responsible for pulling up £7 Mn into the Innovation Pipeline, through work on multiple projects, readied for launch within 2 years.
• Led one of the most successful Health drink launches, Horlicks Gold, recognised by Economic Times (leading business daily) among Best Innovations for the year 2011.
• Developed Frenels Lens packaging innovation, as a first in GSK, in a record time of 9 months from idea to execution by setting up a global supply arrangement.

• Developed and implemented Brand Strategy and Communication for 3 brands, each catering to a distinct product line and driving a 40% YoY growth for the business.
• Involved in new product development for extensions of the Brand portfolio and in turn developed the marketing mix for 5 product launches.