Asia-Pacific Power List 2023: Saakshi Verma Menon, Kimberly-Clark

Saakshi Verma Menon

Marketing director
Kimberly-Clark
India
Member since 2022

Saakshi Verma Menon, Kimberly-Clark India’s marketing director, has been busy for 24 months since joining in 2021. And a large chunk of it has been spent on redefining the conversation around menstrual health, empowering women to take charge of their periods and not let them hold them back.

The 'Own the Night' campaign, coupled with the innovative Kotex Overnight Period Panties launched last year, has been a game-changer in period management. In addition, launching new Kotex ProHealth+  pads supported by an Ogilvy-designed #ChooseItAll campaign has generated positive buzz and raised brand awareness, driving sales in the highly competitive feminine hygiene market.

Upping her game further, Menon changed the conversation by bringing menstrual hygiene out in the open in a striking, unmissable way through the #Periodofchange campaign. In the Kila Raipur Olympics 2023, Kotex organised a relay race where young women athletes passed an open sanitary pad instead of the usual baton, creating India’s most disruptive period conversation.

With Huggies, Menon’s focus has been to communicate Kimberly-Clark's investment in innovation. Huggies' relaunch with a new visual identity and the "We got you, baby" campaign delivered the brand message through the baby's voice, appealing to modern moms. With organic cotton and a digital film highlighting the brand's commitment to baby skin health, Huggies Nature Care has continued to increase customer trust and drive growth.

Menon is on a mission to create platforms and opportunities that connect and grow while also driving meaningful change through circular solutions and social impact programmes. 'Project Ghar' aims to address the mounting challenge of plastic waste by collecting and recycling 22.5 metric tons of single-use and multi-layered plastic to build sustainable housing units for the on-ground waste collectors in the Hubli-Dharwad coastal region of Karnataka, enabling them to live better, healthier, and financially stable lives. 

She is leading the WIN (women’s inclusion network) programme as the executive sponsor at Kimberly – Clark India, which aims to bridge the mentorship divide for women.