Ahmedabad: Khushboo Benani has stepped down from her role at Diageo, concluding a professional journey that spanned over ten years across India and international markets.

Sharing the update via LinkedIn, Benani described the move as the beginning of a new chapter, marking both a professional transition and a personal shift. Her exit also coincides with her departure from Amsterdam, a city she credited for shaping her growth both personally and professionally. During her tenure at Diageo, Benani held several leadership roles. Most recently, she served as Global Head of Culture Marketing and Partnerships for Johnnie Walker, a position she assumed in 2021. In this role, she was responsible for driving cultural relevance and partnerships for one of the company's flagship brands on a global scale.

Prior to her global mandate, she played a key role in Diageo India's marketing ecosystem, leading content strategy, influencer engagement, and brand advocacy. Her work extended across leading brands such as McDowell's No.1, Royal Challenge, and Smirnoff. Benani is now set to return to India, a move she indicated was driven by personal considerations. She will be relocating to Ahmedabad, describing the transition as a return to something deeply familiar rather than a change.

In parallel with her relocation, she has taken on an academic role at MICA | The School of Ideas, where she joins as a Professor of Practice. In her new position, Benani will teach marketing, engaging with students and contributing to academic discourse-an ambition she has expressed interest in pursuing for some time. She characterised this phase of her career as one focused on building, sharing knowledge, and exploring ideas that she has long wanted to develop. Before joining Diageo in 2015, Benani built her early career in communications and public relations, with stints at Reliance Brands, Reliance MediaWorks, and Torque Communications. Her move marks a shift from global brand leadership to academia, reflecting a broader transition toward mentorship and knowledge-sharing within the marketing ecosystem.