Benani shared the update through a post via LinkedIn.
Following her departure, Benani has joined MICA The School of Ideas as Professor of Practice, where she will focus on teaching marketing and engaging with students as she transitions into academia.
During her time at Diageo, she led global cultural marketing initiatives for Johnnie Walker from January 2021 to February 2026. Prior to this, she headed content, influencer engagement, and brand advocacy for Diageo India from July 2015 to January 2021, working across a wide portfolio of brands including Smirnoff, Captain Morgan and McDowell’s No.1.
Before Diageo, she served as Head of Public Relations at Reliance Brands from September 2012 to July 2015, and earlier as Corporate Communications Head at Reliance MediaWorks from May 2009 to September 2012. She began her career at Torque Communications, where she worked on PR mandates for brands such as McDonald’s, FedEx and Shell.














