P&G, which boasts Pantene as one of its billion-dollar brands, has created an IMEA region to improve operations.

As part of a significant reorganization, Procter & Gamble has merged India, the Middle East and Africa into one IMEA region to remove management layers and improve the execution of strategy. The move is seen by some industry experts as an attempt to downsize in a tough consumer market with accelerating costs.

The action will reportedly see marketers including Indian managers shift from P&G’s regional businesses to its four global business units—beauty, global health and grooming, family care and home care. In addition, its regional market organizations will now be refocused on sales and collapsed into five from eight, with Europe combined into one business, India joining the Middle East and Africa and the rest of Asia combining with Australia. The other two regions are North America and Latin America. Analysts feel P&G is trying to invest in emerging markets more selectively than before, but India should remain a priority.