Mahindra Group names Purnima Lamba Chief Brand Officer as brand-building enters a new era 

For a brand that spans SUVs and tractors, technology and finance, hospitality and renewable energy, telling a coherent story is a job that comes with unusual complexity. The Mahindra Group has now handed that responsibility to Purnima Lamba, appointing her as Chief Brand Officer with effect from September 1, 2026. 

Lamba takes charge at an interesting moment for the Group, and for corporate brands more broadly. With audiences increasingly discovering companies through social media, creators, short-form video, digital communities, and conversations that can change direction within minutes, corporate storytelling has become a much more fluid exercise. 

Anand Mahindra, Chairman of the Mahindra Group, captured that shift in his welcome to Lamba. “Being the steward of a brand comes with great responsibility, but also an extraordinary canvas,” he wrote, pointing to an era where “new-age media moves at breakneck speed and attention spans are measured in seconds.” 

His message also offered a glimpse of what he expects from the new brand chief. “Brand stewardship is no longer about controlling a message,” Mahindra wrote. “It’s about building an authentic dialogue.” He went on to say he was looking forward to having Lamba “steer our narrative & dialogue into the future,” ending with the Group’s familiar rallying cry: “May you Rise.” 

That emphasis on dialogue is significant for a group as sprawling as Mahindra. The organisation operates across automotive, farm equipment, financial services, technology, logistics, hospitality, real estate, renewable energy, and other businesses, with a presence in more than 100 countries. Its corporate identity has increasingly been built around the idea of “Rise”, which Mahindra refreshed in 2023 around themes including future readiness, value creation, and creating positive change. 

Lamba brings nearly 25 years of global experience at Unilever, where she held senior leadership positions across India, the UK, and the Netherlands. According to Mahindra, her experience spans brand building, consumer insight, digital media, and technology-enabled experiences, making her appointment particularly relevant as the distinction between brand, marketing, communication, and consumer engagement continues to blur. 

In her new role, Lamba will shape and steward the Mahindra Group’s corporate brand and communications strategy. She will also be responsible for strengthening consistency across the Group’s diverse businesses, while building greater brand salience across traditional and digital ecosystems. 

The challenge, therefore, goes beyond ensuring that the Mahindra name looks and sounds consistent across businesses. It is about finding the common thread that makes a group spanning vehicles, farms, technology, financial services, and urban living feel like one organisation, while allowing each business to retain its own relevance. 

That makes Lamba’s appointment more than a conventional senior marketing hire. It places the stewardship of one of India’s best-known corporate brands at a point where reputation is increasingly shaped in real time, across multiple platforms, by multiple voices. 

For Mahindra, the next chapter of brand-building may well be less about speaking louder and more about listening better. And, as Anand Mahindra’s message suggests, learning how to turn that conversation into a narrative worth following.