Pawan Kumar Marella Joins Max Healthcare as Chief Experience and Brand Officer
After 23 years at Unilever, Pawan Kumar Marella steps in as Max Healthcare’s Chief Experience and Brand Officer — owning the hospital chain’s experience and brand mandate as he swaps FMCG playbooks for healthcare
New Delhi, September 2026: Pawan Kumar Marella has joined Max Healthcare as Chief Experience and Brand Officer, moving into healthcare after more than two decades with Unilever. His last Unilever brief was VP – Strategic Growth Initiatives, Marketing Capabilities, Innovation Excellence. He joined the company in 2003 and spent over 23 years across networking, sales, business transformation, account management, marketing, customer marketing, strategic planning and communications.
Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Marella wrote that he is starting by listening and learning — “and yes, that includes re-reading all high school biology and chemistry books for starters” — and thanked Abhay Soi and the Max team for the opportunity.
In the new role, Marella will own Max Healthcare’s experience and brand mandate, bringing Unilever-honed marketing, strategic growth and business-transformation muscle into a sector where patient journeys and brand trust sit at the centre of growth.
Marketing take
A 23-year Unilever operator landing as CXBO at Max Healthcare is a clear signal that hospital brands are competing on experience design and brand systems — not just clinical credentials — and that FMCG capability is now a healthcare hiring thesis.
