Hindustan Pencils appoints Aishwarya Shinod as Head of Marketing

Hindustan Pencils, home to the stationery brands Apsara and Nataraj, has appointed Aishwarya Shinod as its new head of marketing. In her new role, Aishwarya will lead the company’s brand, marketing, and consumer strategy across its portfolio, with a focus on enhancing relevance and emotional resonance among new-age consumers.

Aishwarya brings close to 20 years of expertise in building and scaling consumer brands, with prior leadership stints at Unilever, Nestlé, Kellogg’s, and Freudenberg Gala Household Products. Her core strengths lie in brand strategy, integrated marketing, purposeful storytelling, and innovation, all rooted in a strong consumer-first lens.

Commenting on her new role, Aishwarya Shinod, said, “It’s a privilege to join Hindustan Pencils - a brand that has been a part of every Indian’s school memories. I’m excited to take forward this incredible legacy and reimagine its relevance for the next generation. My focus will be on unlocking insight-led marketing that inspires loyalty, drives innovation, and creates meaningful emotional connections with consumers.”

In her past roles, Aishwarya has led several award-winning brand transformations, including the repositioning of Pepsodent across South Asia at Unilever and the celebrated #WhyJustCleanHome campaign at Gala, which helped double the brand’s topline in four years. She has also been part of leading advertising and marketing juries like the EFFIEs, EMVIEs, and Indian Content Marketing Awards, and is well regarded in the industry for her clarity of thought and strategic depth.

Aishwarya holds an MBA in Marketing from Pune University. Outside the boardroom, she’s a passionate trekker and recently completed the Everest Base Camp trek – a reflection of her adventurous spirit and perseverance.