Asia-Pacific Power List 2024: Gaurav Gupta, Kimberly-Clark Softex

Gaurav Gupta 

Chief marketing officer and senior director
Kimberly-Clark Softex
Indonesia
New member

Marketing seldom gets called upon during billion-dollar acquisitions, but Gaurav Gupta not only earned a seat at the table, he led the acquisition and integration of Kimberly-Clark’s (KC) $1.2 billion purchase of Softex in Indonesia.

Gupta faced a formidable challenge. There was a significant disconnect in how the feminine hygiene category was being marketed by industry leaders compared to the expectations of internet-savvy young women. He began by overhauling the creative and media agency ecosystem for KC in Indonesia, building a roster from scratch that included agencies such as Mindshare, Ogilvy, and Accenture.

He then worked to destigmatise menstrual health, making menstruation a topic of conversation rather than a source of embarrassment, through purpose-driven messaging. 2023 marked a transformative year for Kimberly-Clark, as the vision Gupta had for the iconic Softex brands came to fruition. The innovations in packaging and campaigns received a positive response from consumers and retail partners, with nearly all of KC’s brands seeing gains in market penetration and consumption, and capturing increased market shares.

As a marketer, Gupta is passionate about enhancing consumer lives by inspiring them to lead active and fulfilling ones. For instance, in 2023 Gupta launched the #HilanganHalangan campaign for Softex, featuring Indonesia’s first hijab-wearing heavy metal band, VoB. Their story inspired millions of girls to overcome societal pressures and pursue their dreams. Similarly, for their adult incontinence brand, they launched #Pedeterus (live life with confidence) to encourage senior citizens suffering from incontinence to lead active and productive lives.

Gupta is committed to not only developing great brands and products, but also to making a positive impact in the communities where KC operates. The company’s consumer outreach and education programs, run in partnership with schools, provide menstrual hygiene education to millions of girls and include sanitary product vending machines in many schools. For the ‘Confidence’ brand, the company collaborates with various Arisan groups, hospitals, and geriatric care facilities to provide education on incontinence and distribute free samples to those in need.

More widely in the industry, Gupta is actively recognised and rewarded as a top marketing and advertising talent, having been a jury member for the Effies and Spikes at the APAC level.