Helping People Reach
their Full Potential
Building People Capability
We have invested in strengthening the capability of our managers to lead diverse and inclusive teams. Our development programs cover essential areas like equitable hiring practices, performance management, career development conversations, and coaching strategies.
Average Training Hours of Employees FY 2025-26
(In Hours)
Investing In Talent Development
The following are some of our key ongoing interventions focused on developing potential across the organization
Developing capabilities
of the future
Recognizing the transformative potential of AI, we have provided a plethora of tools to individuals to leverage AI within the Colgate Ecosystem and we are highly focused on driving effectiveness and efficiency leveraging AI. We have focused and identified users within each function who look for either opportunities that reduce the time it takes to do things or can enable us to do things that we were not able to do as a team earlier.
These use cases are then shared across with the larger user base to showcase real-world applications of AI across different functions, reinforcing responsible and innovative practices and higher AI adoption.
Developing strategic leaders at senior management levels
To equip high-potential talent for future leadership roles, we partner with prestigious institutions like IIM Ahmedabad, Stanford University, and INSEAD. These immersive classroom programs focus on strategic thinking, people leadership, strategic influence, and cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset.
Developing capabilities at mid-management layer
The Alchemist program enables leaders in mid-management to scale to the next level. It focuses on building and reinforcing the values of Care and Inclusion with a special focus on helping leaders become more courageous. To do this, we have identified key leadership principles that are particularly needed at this level of leadership to grow to the next level.
Developing impactful
frontline sales managers
Gurukul Rise
A self-paced learning and assessment platform that blends capabilitybuilding modules with real-time action learning projects. It is designed to help employees upskill and prepare them to grow into future roles.
Potential Development Centre (PDC)
Once Customer Development Officers (CDOs) are ready for the next level, a two-day program at the Potential Development Centre is conducted to assess and identify talent for Area Manager roles through a structured evaluation process.
AI-powered Field Readiness
Our AI-enabled learning assistant provides frontline professional associates with 24/7 access to scientific expertise and simulated role-play, helping standardize messaging, strengthen field readiness, and improve responses to complex clinical queries. The initiative has accelerated capability building and contributed to a significant increase in prescription growth.
Career Development Plan
We continue focusing on the development of individuals beyond their dayto- day performance. We have ensured that every employee engages in meaningful career conversations with their managers. The outcomes of these discussions are then woven into development plans — shaping additional projects, formal learning opportunities, and short-term assignments. This integrated approach supports individuals in preparing for their next aspirational role and advancing with purpose.
Sales Fundamentals
To build excellent sales fundamentals across the organization, we aim to equip 100% of our field workforce with essential training in Core Selling Fundamentals, Distributor Engagement, and Customer Management.
Supply Chain Fundamentals
With a shared goal of operational excellence, the Supply Chain team invested over 10,000 collective training hours in critical areas like quality, safety, and production to elevate standards across our plants.
Developing managers as coaches
Better-Up
In partnership with BetterUp, our global parent company provides personalized leadership coaching to help Colgate leaders enhance their effectiveness and accelerate their professional growth.
Colgate flagship training programs on people management
We conduct several flagship training programs across all levels to build a consistent approach to people management. These include 'Valuing Colgate People', 'Fundamentals of Colgate Leadership' and 'Coaching Essentials'.
Building Careers
At Colgate, building careers begins with helping our people understand where they currently stand in terms of their skills and capabilities, identifying where they want to go, and mapping out the path to get there.
We facilitate this journey through regular career development conversations between employees and their managers. These discussions help individuals explore their strengths, identify areas for growth, and share their career aspirations.
The insights from these dialogues feed into broader talent planning to shape personalized development opportunities and career pathways. To reinforce these conversations, we conduct half-yearly performance check-ins that not only assess progress against set goals but also look ahead to identify ways to drive further impact and growth.
Adding more structure and transparency to this process, our new Colgate Career Framework offers a clear organizational map of roles. It enables employees to visualize potential career paths, understand the experiences and capabilities required for aspirational roles, and make confident, informed choices regarding their professional growth.
People Leadership
We engaged our mid to senior managers in training programs focused on self-management, effective team development, goal setting, and navigating conflicts and interpersonal dynamics with a larger set of stakeholders. Additionally, refresher sessions were held to reinforce hiring principles and enhance senior leaders' capability to conduct competency-based interviews.
Enabling a Learning Culture
Based on the career development goals of their teams, all function leaders curated quarterly learning sessions by bringing in subject matter experts, either from within the function or outside the organization
Digital Tools & Technology
Digital tools and technology have been pivotal in driving our talent development initiatives. To support this, we offer tailored skill-building opportunities through our AI-powered platform, 'MindSpark,' which integrates e-learning with multidisciplinary modules. Additionally, our 'Self Development Policy' provides financial support to employees pursuing external educational courses for further upskilling.
The Red Talks – Leadership Talk Series
A signature leadership engagement platform, Red Talks is designed to fuel inspiration, spark innovation, and nurture a growth-oriented culture. Curated exclusively for CP India employees, this talk series features thought leaders, industry experts, and changemakers from diverse walks of life who share powerful stories, strategic insights, and life lessons.
It offers our people a dynamic platform where bold ideas thrive, inspiration takes center stage, and our shared commitment to excellence is advanced. This year, the series featured prominent speakers including Mr. Shiv Shivakumar, Former Chairman and CEO, Pepsico India and Arindam Paul, Founding Member & Chief Business Officer, Atomberg Technologies bringing fresh perspectives and transformative thinking to our teams. Each session offers a space for learning and reflection, helping employees connect with purpose and envision what is possible
CHAMP
CHAMP (Colgate Hands-on Advancement and Mastery Program) is a 3-year program we have launched in Sri City. It is structured for learning and soft skills combined with on-the-job training, continuous mentorship, and career support making candidates 100% job ready. The program aims to convert highchurn manual roles into a skilled, high-retention technical workforce by eliminating operational instability, transforming workers into technical owners and creating a "UGC-Accredited" educational pathway.