Abhishek Ganguly is a business leader with a penchant for start-ups and sports. His business acumen coupled with a strong commercial sense makes him a strategist par excellence in the industry.
Abhishek has exposure to multiple consumer products and experience in managing various sales channels — Direct Retail, various wholesale networks and online commerce.
Before co-founding Agilitas Sports, Abhishek established PUMA India and drove its growth from scratch to success, which has been one of the biggest milestones in his career trajectory spanning over two decades.
Akhilesh Prasad leads Reliance Retail’s Fashion & Lifestyle business, driving strategy, business and expansion for scale & sustained growth. Industry veteran with more than 30+ years in Retail in India, Akhilesh brings rich experience in retail-operations & business leadership across grocery, telecom and fashion. Akhilesh joined Trends in 2006 as Head-Operations and went on to become Chief Operations Officer. He has also worked with Reliance Webstore Ltd. as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to his stint with Reliance, he worked with brands Weekender, Weekender Kids and Toonworld, as Chief Executive Officer. Today he is leading Reliance Retail’s Fashion and Lifestyle business(F&L) as President and Chief Executive Officer. Under his able leadership, he has established Reliance F&L business as the largest fashion business in the country. He has transformed fashion retail landscape in India through establishing 18+ unique & diversified fashion retail concepts across Online and Offline channels with over 3,800+ stores in the country.(Ajio, Trends, Trends Footwear, Azorte, Yousta, GAP, Avantra, Centro, Fashion Factory, Swadesh etc.) Akhilesh is an alumni of St. Stephen’s College, Delhi and has acquired Economics (Hons) and went on to do his Post graduation from Delhi school of Economics. Akhilesh’s wife, Indira is a Homemaker and they have a son, Surya. Akhilesh likes to travel and has driven across the length and breadth of the country. He is particularly fond of wild life & nature.
When it comes to the products of the brand, Akshika is of the opinion that the design of the ensemble should enhance the character of the wearer, not overpower it; and being fashionable is subjective and personal. It should be about celebrating you and your style, and not always following the crowd and adhering to the most popular trends. In her brand, she deems it necessary that the outfits be easy to wear, while still staying elegant and minimalistic. When asked about the future she sees for her brand, she says, “The vision I have for Rareism is to make it a brand that women associate with dressing up for themselves and being comfortable, no matter the event or occasion! Our mission is to make this ideology pan- India and make every woman feel this self- love and confidence”.
In her role at Levi Strauss & Co., Amisha Jain is responsible for leading the company’s operations in SAMEA and ensuring that the geography continues to drive expansion and growth, contributing to the company’s success in Asia and around the globe. Prior to this, Amisha was the CEO at Zivame. She built the innovation-led consumer centric brand and lead the fastest growing women’s organization for intimate wear and set it up to catapult the business to greater heights. An alumna of INSEAD and Mckinsey, she has over 18+ years of experience in technology, consumer and retail sectors. Prior to joining Zivame, Amisha was heading the Arvind Sports Lifestyle business and the Digital Centre of Excellence for the Arvind Group
An innovative and forward-thinking creative professional with more than two decades of experience, particularly in leadership roles, Amit has been instrumental in propelling brands onto a path of success, Shree being the latest.
Amit is focused on creating strategies that drive organic and steady growth through simplification of operations, aligning IT with organizational goals and eventually leads to customer satisfaction. He has in-depth knowledge in Retail Tech, Enterprise-Level Automation and Digital Transformation.
Anil Menon is an IT professional with 19 plus years of experience across Information Technology, Retail, Ecommerce, Real Estate, Logistics & Hospitality organizations. In his previous capacity as General Manager – IT innovation at Tata Starbucks & Head –IT, Trent Hypermarket Pvt. Ltd Anil worked extensively on the company’s digital transformational projects, Cloud & Mobility Platforms, Retail Analytics, Enterprise systems and Security & Information management systems.
His previous professional roles at companies such as Future Group, Wadhawan Retail and Zensar Technologies have also given Anil vast techno-functional experience. The areas that pique his interests are Artificial Intelligence, ML, Blockchain and robotics and he has always been keen to enhance processes to up customer experience.
In his new role at Premium lingerie brand Triumph, Ankur will contribute to the development, implementation, monitoring and review of a business strategy that maximizes the retail net profit by driving sales and controlling costs for India. With a focused approach to drive franchise operations, control retail (D2C) & ecommerce and the established wholesale operations he will drive the business to a three-fold growth in the next few years. He will be responsible for the Annual Revenue and P&L and drive the next chapter of growth for Triumph in the India and Sri Lanka subsidiaries and neighboring countries.
Ankur has over 18 years’ experience in leading International & Indian brands across varied categories from athleisure, sport and fashion to golf, luggage, handbags, and cookware in the Indian subcontinent. A seasoned and accomplished professional in the retail industry, he is adept in launching and scaling up consumer brands across channels with a strong exposure to global best practices and international markets.
Anshuman Agarwal is one of the seasoned leaders in the ecommerce & retail technology industry. With over 20 years of experience as a thought leader, advisor, and mentor, Anshuman brings in unique perspectives across multiple segments including merchandise planning, distribution, warehousing, decision analysis, risk analysis and strategy development. He is a graduate from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), one of the premier engineering institutes in the world, and a postgraduate from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), one of the Top B-Schools known globally. His objective behind starting Increff was to build sustainable supply chains, especially for short-life cycle products, e.g., Fashion, beauty, lifestyle etc. through intelligent merchandising and smart inventory management. In the initial years of his career, Anshuman worked with some of the marquee companies like Boston Consulting Group (BCG), ITC, Myntra, Inductis and many more. He is the Co- founder & COO, at Increff and is recognised as the go-to source for operations, consulting, and business strategies.
Anuj Dalal is the Founder & CEO of Zestard Technologies – eCommerce & Digital Marketing Agency. He is a dynamic leader who brings 15 years of experience with a focus on building ‘consumer first’ eCommerce solutions. A creative problem solver and strategic thinker – Anuj is passionate about all things entrepreneurial, E-commerce, design and technology. With a wide spectrum of knowledge and subject expertise, Anuj has delivered successful and profitable B2C, B2B, Marketplaces, Omni channel and Subscription based eCommerce solutions. Anuj has been invited as a speaker for IIM A, D2C Insider, Meet Magento, eChai and other local technical meet-ups.
When Apeksha Gupta first joined Lenskart, John Jacobs was a nascent enterprise. Today, it is not only a global player in the eyewear market, but also the largest brand on Lenskart’s portfolio. Having been with John Jacobs since the very beginning, she’s had a front row seat for every strategy that’s led to the brand’s eyeconic position today. Leaving Ray Ban in its rear-view as their major business competitor in 2020, John Jacobs is geared to aim for the most spectacular sights under its youngest CEO’s leadership.
Apkesha’s past experience in the fashion & lifestyle domain includes roles at Reliance Brands, Future Group, Marks & Spencers, Lakme Fashion Week, Juicy Couture and Diesel.
Her career highlights include turning around M&S India’s kidswear category, delivering the highest comparable store growth and out-performing other categories as the Business Unit Head; being the .
youngest fashion buyer in the global audience for the Diesel Black Gold show at Milan Fashion Week, shaping the brand’s retail strategy in India, and building John Jacobs as the future of eye-fashion and a lead competitor in the Indian and global eyewear industry.
Apoorv Sen holds a masters degree in Merchandising Management along with a Comprehensive Financial Management program from Harvard Business School.
He has been associated with Iconic since Jan 2018 as Chief Business Officer. With his focus on business excellence and industry development, Apoorva is playing a vital role in creating Iconic as a destination for premium brands. In the past three years, the company has delivered growth for more than 15 exclusive brands such as GANT, True Religion, Antony Morato, Bugatti, Kendal & Kylie, among others.
Ashmeer M. Sayyed comes with more than 2 decades of experience across retail in various industries like greeting cards and gifts, nutraceuticals, fashion & apparel, FMCG and telecom. He holds expertise in strategic planning, retail store operations, sales and business development, inventory management, e-commerce set up initiations, revenue and profitability management, store merchandising, franchise, and multi-channel distribution through EBO (Exclusive Brand Outlets) & MBO (Multi-brand outlets). Presently, Ashmeer is spearheading the Offline Business for DaMENSCH as CRO (Chief Retail Officer), the fastest growing men’s fashion brand in the space of penetrated online fashion. DaMENSCH is a new-aged fashion brand for the aspiring population who seek for more than the available options in the Indian innerwear and athleisure offerings. The initiatives encompass the space of offline distribution with focus on the Exclusive Brand Stores (EBS), Controlled General Trade (CGT) and NCR – National Chain Retail stores, the LFS business.
Born and brought up in Prayagraj, UP, Avneesh Sachdev, 36, graduated with Bcom Hons from Sri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University. He did his post grad in retail management from NIFT Bangalore. Avneesh oined the family business in 2010, and has opened 4 stores since then and launched 2 brands – Heritage India and Toyport – with a vision to scale across India.
Bhavin Devpuria, head marketing for Triumph Group, a global leader of high quality and innovative intimate wear brands. His role looks at digital strategy, integrated communications, and channel marketing for Triumph and Sloggi, in India and Sri Lanka. Bhavin has worked extensively in retail, across lifestyle, fashion and other categories. He has conceptualized and launched successful campaigns like #BiggestSmallChange for Idea 4G and ‘Blindfold Sale’ for Ezone. During his tenure with the Future Group (Ezone), he became the youngest member of the Chairman’s Club. He was instrumental in driving business growth and repositioning Ezone, from ‘Smarter Living’ to ‘Together Forever’. His efforts for scaling the brand brought an increase in visibility and a 2X jump in revenue. Prior to Triumph, Bhavin led Go-To-Market strategies for brands such as Yaari Digital, Unicorn InfoSolutions to improve brand salience and consulted a few brands in the space of derivative trading and real estate.
Christian is a creative strategist with extensive global experience in luxury, fashion, interior and creative online content.
He has a Masters from the French Haute Couture School “ECSCP (IFM)” in Paris and has worked for global key luxury- fashion- and retail brands like Christian Dior and Emanuel Ungaro in Paris, worked in Shanghai for 6 years in retail and fashion, and for the last 5 years in India he worked in VP- and C-suite positions for Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd (ABFRL), Koovs and Myntra.
Through his company “SilverSpoon” he consults lifestyle brands & retail companies in design, storytelling and branding. Besides consulting he is a brand scout and deal maker of international fashion- and luxury brands to India & GCC countries.
Dhiraj is the Co-Founder and CEO at Campus Sutra, the biggest bootstrapped D2C fashion brand in the country. In a world where funding is the norm, Campus Sutra challenged the playbook to build the D2C brand in India. Campus Sutra has laid out the path to build profitable business and is on track to achieving a run rate of 1000 cr in the next 3 years.
Campus Sutra has shipped > 8 Million orders since inception. First and Only Digitally Native brand to be present in 500 stores across all top 5 departmental stores in the country – Lifestyle, Shopper Stop, Central, Brand Factory, Reliance Trends. Also, Present in more than 22 countries across the world.
After completing a footwear design course from Ars Sutoria Milan in 2015, Diksha has been working as Director and Head of Development at D2 International, a leading leather goods export house based in Kolkata, India. Over the years, she has collaborated with various global luxury brands and helped execute their collections.
Given her wealth of experience in luxury fashion, in 2021, she went on to launch Gioia, a luxury leather goods brand with timelessness and quality craftsmanship at its core. At Gioia, she assumes the roles of Director and CEO, continuing to create exceptional leather goods that resonate with connoisseurs of style and individuality.
Sonia Dhawan is a former human geneticist. After retiring from the medical field, she founded the non-profit “A Hundred Hands” alongside her sister Mala in 2010. Since its inception, A Hundred Hands has supported over 13,000 artisans across India and helped them build up their businesses independent from middlemen. It has also played in important part in bringing back handmade in a world of industrial mass production. As part of this mission, Sonia spearheads the Denim Project by AHH – A project recycling old jeans into fashionable bags. The Denim Project is actively preventing Denim fabric from ending up in landfills and at the same time empowering groups of local women by helping them earn their own livelihood.
Dr. Sunder is presently Director at Natur Tec, India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of Northern Technologies International Corporation, USA. In his present capacity, Dr. Sunder is responsible for commercializing and marketing (within India and the SAARC region) NTIC’s technology platforms in the area of Bio based and Bio degradable plastics. Prior to joining the Natur-TecTM business unit, Sunder was the Technical Head at Harita NTI for the Zerust® business unit. (Dealing in comprehensive solutions on corrosion management). In that capacity, he was primarily responsible for Technology, Technical support and New Product Development functions. Dr. Sunder received a doctorate degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan in the area of “Reactive Extrusion of Biopolymers and composites”. He received his Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering from University Department of Chemical Technology, UDCT Mumbai. He has co-authored several U.S. Patents and International publications in the area of Bioplastics and is also a representative on Bio-polymers at International Standards Organization and Bureau of Indian Standards. He served as a National Consultant to UNIDO, International Centre for Advancements in Manufacturing Technology in the area of Biobased and Biodegradable Polymers.
Mr. GANESH SRINIVASAN is a University Gold Medalist in Polymer- Technology from Madras Institute of Technology. He is the chief Executive Officer (CEO) Resil chemicals since 2018. A Transformational leader with 30+ years of ample achievements in growing Textile Silicone and Silver Businesses, Research, Product development, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Digital Technology. He is an innovator in over 15 granted patents. He has won several National awards for innovation in the Silicone & Silver Technology. He is associated with CASP- Japan, TAPPI- USA, AATCC- USA, BIS MTD-33 and ASM international.
Harita is a seasoned leader who brings simplicity to complexity, with 23 years’ experience in delivering business results through vision, strategy and creative communication that cuts through, social/digital/product innovation. She evolved from being a design graduate to an expert in Buying & Merchandising, Product Development and Brand Management in varied retail formats and lifestyle brands within a few years of her career. Her portfolio showcases a wide range of products from lifestyle to luxury from her work with major brands with some of her collections winning a place in global collections.
Joseph Paul George completed his Masters from SP Jain School of Global Management in Mumbai in 2021. Since he took charge as Executive Director at Vismay, he has brought many critical changes to the organization. Digitization of processes and developing products keeping the customer experience at the center of its focus have been his strength. He is focused on Vismay’s Retail Expansion to reach 100 stores by 2026 and the expansion of Vismay Lingerie into multiple markets.
Kalika Mehra , aged 31 is an astute leader with nearly more than a decade of experience in manufacturing in fashion retail. A graduate in Bsc. Fashion designer from Northern Indian Institute of Fashion Technology, India, she is a passionate and inspiring entrepreneur who fosters teamwork and works towards organizational objectives. She carries professional expertise prior to becoming an entrepreneur. This involves working with big manufacturing houses in India. Her exclusive determination and dedication was duly recognized by the institute and she was bestowed with Best Designer Award for presenting a collection reviving the rich Heritage of Punjab. She started her entrepreneurial journey at Active Clothing Co. Limited from 2014 and since then there’s no looking back. Kalika has helped the company with product and design development where her prime role was to innovate new designs and ensure its execution. Starting from developing a collection for the client based on their brand outlook to helping ACTIVE
Karunesh has over 28 years of experience in the fashion retail & lifestyle industry, of which 10 years was as a ‘Design Entrepreneur’ dedicated to founding and running Munch Design Workshop Pvt. Ltd. Munch was a pioneering concept in India, providing design services to the fashion and lifestyle retail industry in India and Overseas.
The rest of his career has been with corporates in the Indian Fashion & Lifestyle industry.In his last full time corporate engagement, he was the Creative Director for Louis Philippe & Simon Carter, post which he spearheaded the Design & Visual Merchandising education for the recently Launched “ABFRL University”. Over the past 5 years, he hasI been engaged as an “Executive Consultant” and has been providing Concept Creation & allied services based on Consumer understanding, Market research, Back end understanding, and Trend Forecasting. Some of his clients are Raymond group, Bombay Dyeing, Landmark Group.
Ketan Chunchanur heads the Ecommerce business at Modenik Lifestyle Pvt. Ltd. He joined the organisation in early 2020 as Head of Strategy and Transformation, and after 2 years of driving the Transformation agenda, now leads E-commerce business for all Modenik brands. He comes with a rich experience in strategy & transformation, e-commerce and consulting & business advisory at the CXO level. With capabilities in Strategy Formulation, Post Merger Integration, Business Transformation, and E-commerce focused strategy his expertise lies in strategic roadmap creation, leading the PMO for effective implementation of strategic charters, integration synergies realization, and P&L delivery for E-commerce. Ketan holds an MBA from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, focusing on Strategy, Supply Chain Management, Finance, and an engineering degree in Electronics and Communications. Before joining Dixcy, he worked with well-known organizations like Walmart India, E&Y, Metro Cash & Carry, Himalaya, and Infosys.
Krishna Sumanth, an IIT Madras alumni of 2013, began his career at Schlumberger, dedicating three years to engineering before his passion for technology led him to venture into the world of startups. His journey into entrepreneurship started with exploring the potential of 3D printing in healthcare, specifically in surgical applications, where he honed his skills in 3D visualization and scanning. This exploration paved the way for his venture into creating a virtual try-on experience for online apparel shopping—a concept that faced initial setbacks due to technological limitations but eventually steered him toward a breakthrough in tech-based cataloging for apparel brands. This innovation simplifies the traditional photoshoot process, significantly enhancing brand visual identity and customer engagement. Today, as the founder of AlphaBake.io, Krishna leverages Generative AI to revolutionize how clothing brands present their products online, boosting sales conversions through dynamic, interactive, and contextual visuals.
Lavanya Nalli is Chairperson of Nalli Group, a $100M national retail chain specializing in textiles and women’s ethnic wear. Established in 1928, the iconic brand from South India is a category- killer in saris, and famous for its Kanchipuram silks. She started her career with Nalli in 2005, focusing on growth and business development, operational excellence, and new business initiatives. Under her stewardship, Nalli also diversified into other businesses and newer formats. Lavanya graduated from Harvard Business School with an MBA in 2011, and worked at McKinsey & Company (Chicago) advising CXOs of Fortune 500 companies on issues ranging from top-line growth and profit improvement initiatives, change management programs and multi-channel strategy.
She moved to India in 2013 into the e-commerce world as Vice-President at Myntra (Flipkart Group) and is now back at Nalli Group, leading new business initiatives, as well as growth and expansion efforts for its core businesses. By 2017, Nalli had expanded its footprint to 34 stores. She is a frequent speaker at industry events, and is an ambassador for the Government of India’s innovation efforts and “Champions of Change ” program. She is a member of YPO (Bangalore Chapter), and an Aspen Fellow. She’s a published author of 3 children’s books, and also an avid fitness enthusiast.
Lavanya is a distinguished leader, renowned for her results-driven leadership style. Her extensive experience, spanning two decades, has been marked by strategic collaborations and notable tenures in senior roles within the fast-paced worlds of e-commerce, retail, telecom, and IT. As a Chartered & Cost Accountant, she has shone in charting business strategies, steering financial management, and crafting thorough business plans. At the helm of Zivame as the Chief Operating Officer, Lavanya’s vision and direction are propelling the company to new heights. In service to the broader business community, Lavanya contributed to Bangalore Chamber of Industry & Commerce (BCIC) particularly in advancing initiatives focused on Women’s Empowerment, Leadership, and corporate stewardship. Above all, Lavanya is a proponent of an equitable workplace, fervently advocating for an environment where equal opportunities are not an aspiration but a norm. Her professional journey is a narrative of excellence and a testament to her unwavering commitment to inclusive growth.
Meet lavish soni “Head Of Business” at THE HOUSE OF RARE, India. He leads our offline retail wing with core responsibilities pertaining to sales channels including, Exclusive Brand outlets (EBOs), Multibrand Outlets (MBOs), Large Format stores (LFS), Visual Merchandising and Business development Pan India.
Our offline presence plays a vital role in the brand’s success, and here is what Lavish keeps in mind while taking any strategic decision :
“There are 4 P’s which I always keep in mind before we consider expanding to a new market and location – People, Product, Positioning and Partners. This is my core philosophy where the aim would be to upraise all the factors and not do the opposite. This for me is the foundation for a thriving offline business”.
“Apart from this, product acceptability in the premium segment and consumer awareness plays a vital role in our strategy. Expansion decisions are backed with digital trends which opens up several untapped avenues”.
“Allocating exclusive stores In the right market points uplifts Brand Equity, which is the first and true essence for communicating our Brand philosophy to any consumer”, Lavish Adds.
When asked about the Vision he has for the brand, he proudly said “It is to be India’s Answer to Europe”.
A former advertising professional and expert in brand strategy, Mala Dhawan founded the non- profit “A Hundred Hands” in 2010 alongside her sister Sonia. “A Hundred Hands” focusses on empowering artisan livelihoods and encouraging people to work with their hands. The idea came to her after she was part of a project helping women farmers market their products in an urban space. She realised that her expertise in branding could be used to benefit groups which do not have exposure or knowledge in the same. Today, A Hundred Hands works with over 13,000 artisans and artisan clusters across India, who are practising over 300 different crafts. It has played a substantial role in helping these artisans build up their businesses independent of middlemen and preserve their crafts for the future generation.
Manas Singh is a business leader with extensive cross-functional and global experience. He presently leads growth and P&L for Direct-to-consumer eCommerce business for Puma India. Previously as a Partner at The Boston Consulting Group, Manas has advised several Fortune 100 corporations in the Consumer industry, based in the US, UK and China. Manas has also been the Chief Business Officer at an Indian consumer tech start-up, valued at $1bn+ and funded by Tiger Global and Sequoia. He is a graduate from IIT Kharagpur (BTech) and Chicago Booth (MBA)
As Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer at Pepe Jeans India Ltd, Manish is responsible for the growth of the existing business portfolio and is instrumental in designing effective strategies that are aligned with the broader global strategy. During his time with Pepe Jeans India, Manish Kapoor has led the brand to win numerous industry accolades and helped the company earn recognition for its consumer focused business strategy.
Pepe Jeans was the recipient of the IMAGES Retail Most Admired Retailer: Retail Re-imagined 2021 for its ground-breaking & innovative campaign Pepe HD (Home Delivery) for having converted Pepe stores in to fulfillment centers to cater to its customers and offer same day delivery in the absence of a website. Kapoor has often been awarded for his exemplary leadership and business know-how. In 2021 he was acknowledged for his efforts towards sustaining a high-trust high-performance culture by Great Place to Work – India’s best Leaders in Times of Crisis 2021.
Manohar D Chatlani (Manu) is the man behind the revolution of the ethnic fast fashion category in the retail market in India. Manohar Chatlani is the founder and MD of Soch.
He started his career with ‘Favourite Shop’ an iconic shop in Commercial Street, Bangalore which was established in 1950 by his Father and Uncle.
Manohar Chatlani comes from a family with retail background and has been a retail enthusiast all his life. With immense passion for retail and experience of more than 50 years in retail sector, business development, leadership roles, Manohar brings strong commercial experience and in-depth knowledge of the Indian retail market. His sons Vinay & Sandeep joined the business in 2003 & 2006 and the family started the first Soch store in 2005. The 2 nd & 3 rd stores were stared in 2008 & 2009. Since then Soch has grown to a Nationwide chain with 160 stores
Apart from being an avid retailer, Manohar Chatlani is a man of many firsts– he was the first to have a Department Store in Bangalore catering to the full family, first to have Half Price Sales where customers queued up to get into the store and first to manufacture Fibre Glass Mannequins in India.
Manohar Chatlani is not only a businessman but also spends a great deal of his personal time doing philanthropic work, sponsoring over 100 lifesaving heart surgeries a month for the poor and needy through ‘Have A Heart Foundation’. Till date, the Foundation has supported 15,000 such heart surgeries with a sponsorship of above 45 crores in the last seventeen years. Not only is he fervent about his business of retail and manufacturing, he always believes in extending a helping hand or a compassionate word.
His current passion is ROP (Retinopathy of Prematurity). This is a problem which affects the vision of premature babies and some of them will go blind for life. He is trying to prevent this from happening to as many as he can.
He was a Director in Narayana Hrudayalaya for 5 years and Dr. Devi Shetty (who is his idol) supported HAH by extending huge discounts for the patients sponsored by HAH. HAH has influenced other likeminded organizations in Mumbai, Ludhiana, Kolkata & Cayman Islands to follow the same model and do similar works
His hobbies include listening to old Hindi songs and spends quite a lot of his time devoted in social work. Manohar works with a vision of firmly establishing the brand – ‘Soch’ as one of the preferred choice of women ethnic wear for Indian consumers.
Today with their retail and garment manufacturing business employing over 1300 employees, Manohar Chatlani is a retail legend to track.
Manorath is a Multidisciplinary Designer, Artist and Entrepreneur. She came on board Okhai to fulfill her passion of working in a social business. She helped build Okhai’s design philosophies and drove social innovation through craft development and design transformation to facilitate sustainable growth. Having previously worked in the Indian Craft Sector her journey with Okhai began with a purpose of using ‘design for good’, to make an impact which led her to a volunteer project with the organization. Manorath is a seasoned professional and a passionate advocate for social change through design and sustainability. As an entrepreneur she deeply believes in pushing boundaries, challenging conventional norms and using the power of creativity for a deep and transformative impact on communities. Alumini: NID Ahmedabad, Istituto Europeo Di Design.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/manorathdhillon/
Mansi Lohia, an architect and Director of Planning at the Rishab Kumar Lohia Memorial Trust, is dedicated to creating a positive impact in the lives of underprivileged individuals. Her career began with government landscaping projects in Kanpur, showcasing her keen eye for architecture and commitment to societal welfare. Mansi’s excellence in architecture earned her the Mumbai University Architecture Award, making her a bronze medalist and securing the 2nd position statewide in Maharashtra.
Beyond philanthropy, Mansi chairs the Women Entrepreneurs Committee at the Merchant Chambers in Uttar Pradesh, actively promoting female entrepreneurship. She also indulges in her passion for the arts, particularly painting. As the visionary founder of Black Watermelon, she celebrates diversity and inclusivity, using her brand to showcase the talents of neurodivergent individuals and challenge stereotypes. Her meticulously crafted designs aim to raise awareness and contribute to a more inclusive society, marking a seamless blend of creativity, social responsibility, and architectural prowess in her career.
Mayank Mohan Agarwal returned to India in 2007, after pursuing his higher education in the US and working as a strategy consultant with Deloitte for several years. On his return, he decided to join his family business, Mohanlal Sons. He used his strategy consulting background and a keen foresight to reinvent the business from a Multi Brand Outlet to a Specialized Celebration Wear Retailer. He also decided to foray into tier II and III towns, where the real India growth story resides. Mohanlal Sons is now spread across 20 different cities in North India. All their stores are Company Owned & Operated.
Nitin Chhabra is a retail industry veteran with 25 years of experience. Prior to founding Ace Turtle, he worked at Reliance Brands in various leadership roles where he was responsible for forming joint ventures and alliances. He is a retail industry veteran and has been the CEO of Brooks Brothers, Thomas Pink and Iconix Brands at Reliance Brands. He has also held various leadership roles at Reid & Taylor, VF Corporation and Arvind Brands.
Nitin’s core responsibilities include setting the organization’s strategy and overseeing execution by the leadership team. The key areas of focus are business growth and profitability. He firmly believes that technology can make retail more efficient and scalable. Under his leadership, Ace Turtle has grown to become a profitable company with revenue rising by 20 times in the last 3 years despite the pandemic.
Gaysons Men’s, a fashion stalwart since 1968, has expanded to 9 stores across Nagpur, offering Mens, Womens, and Kids Wear. Overseeing 1,00,000 customers yearly, the chain has cultivated alliances with top retail labels—from Double Bull in the ’90s to today’s icons such as Jockey, Manyavar, VIP Industries, Brand Concepts, ABFRL, etc. With formats spanning MBO, EBO, and Flagship Stores, Gaysons Men’s extends beyond mere retail. Notably, their portfolio includes a handloom studio, “Charkha,” showcasing premium silk fabrics. This diversification aligns with their pursuit of excellence, as they aspire to operate 25+ stores by 2025, fostering brand collaborations and venturing into varied retail industry segments.
With over two decades of experience in launching and leading brands across men's, women's apparel and retail such as Allen Solly Womens wear, Enamor, Tommy Hilfiger, Reliance Trends amongst others, Preeti Gupta joined Nykaa Fashion in 2020 to build the intimate-wear and athleisure verticals. At Nykaa, she has launched and heads 5 brands- Nykd by Nykaa, Gloot, Kica, Gajragang & Likha. She is also currently heading Nykaa Fashion retail stores portfolio and Indian Wear category. Preeti is passionate about nurturing leaders and teams and is a certified Executive Leadership Coach. She is also an avid gardener.
PULKIT VERMA | E-COMMERCE HEAD | THE HOUSE OF RARE
With over 15 years of experience in the E-commerce space today, I have learnt that agility and adaptability along with a Design – First approach and of course Data are the core ingredients to survive and evolve digitally.
Ecommerce offers enormous opportunity especially in the revolution we are in. My vision is to scale and expand THE HOUSE OF RARE in and overseas with a 5x growth in the next 3 years. To be open to all opportunities for expansion and be versed with the key trends this industry holds
Raghu Rajagopalan is currently responsible & steering the Business expansion of all the retail formats of Lifestyle International Pvt Ltd. Before this, he held the position of COO for Max Fashion in India, and was managing the delivery of business productivity synergizing the Retail operations, Marketing, Supply chain and planning functions. With an illustrious career spanning three decades plus, Raghu has a rich and diverse experience in Commercial, Finance, Logistics and Business management in the Consumer Durables, Luggage and Retail formats in India.
Rajesh Jain is the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for Sports And Leisure Apparel Limited – Lacoste Licensee in India. He has been constantly nurturing the brand since October 2009. With his persistent efforts and focused vision, he has built and propagated Lacoste in India as a complete Lifestyle brand, offering unique and original universes for different verticals including clothing for women, men and children, shoes, leather goods, watches etc. His strong belief in his own quote, “Top Line, Bottom Line, Growth, Customer Delight and Human Resource Development – Everything else is merely incidental” has cultivated the brand with firm establishments reaching out to every major city/ metro of the country today.
Rajesh Sethuraman is an accomplished Sales & Marketing Professional driving transformative growth strategies in support of business goals. With a dynamic career spanning 22 years, he has steered brand triumphs across Telecom, Lifestyle, Consumer Durables, Retail & Fashion domains. As a fervent advocate for brand strategy, curating digital ecosystem, consumer experience and Insights, his journey includes influential roles at renowned brands such as RPG, Titan, Reliance, Spencer’s, Walmart, Vishal Mega Mart & Landmark Group. Rajesh currently leads brand experience at Blackberrys in its transformational journey.
Rishi is a global business development strategist, Textile, Apparel value chain expert & business leader. In the last 26 years he has worked with multinational organisation, Indian and international startups that operate across global apparel and textile value chains. Rishi has been working with The LYCRA Company and erstwhile INVISTA in various roles for the past 15 years. Since October 2020 he has been leading strategic business development & Value Chain Management between South Asia's manufacturing base and markets based in EU, UK & North America. He has been based in Hong Kong since 2016.
With over 20 years of experience, Sangeet brings a wealth of expertise to the table. Before embarking on his journey with Royal Enfield, he thrived at Blackberrys Menswear managing a business of over 800 crores and ensuring sustained growth, by honing his skills in brand building, merchandising, and business operations. But Sangeet’s talent extends far beyond credentials with his deep-rooted proficiency in supply chains, adept P&L management and consistently driving profitability and maximizing growth potential by ensuring seamless product flow. Since joining Royal Enfield, Sangeet has spearheaded remarkable expansion in the organization by fostering a culture of strategic thinking and operational excellence, propelling the brand to new heights. Under his leadership, Royal Enfield Apparel has not only grown its market share but also reaching new heights to stay ahead of fashion trends.
Sanjay Vakharia is the CEO of Spykar Lifestyle Private Ltd. and has been part of the original team that founded Spykar in 1992. His sharp business acumen saw him rise from overseeing product development and Marketing to being the CEO. He has played a key role in the overall Marketing & Brand Communication strategies at Spykar. Under his astute direction, Spykar has set up a robust distribution platform across the length and breadth of the country spanning EBOs, LFRs, MBOs, and online sales.
Sathish Kumar holds a significant role as the Chief Digital & Creative Communications Officer, as well as the Head of Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) operations at Brand Studio Lifestyle Pvt Ltd. In a remarkable 25-year career journey, he has garnered expertise across diverse domains including design, manufacturing, sourcing, retail, strategic planning, marketing, e-commerce, and digital communication. Sathish is a distinguished graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT).
Sathish’s association with Brand Studio Lifestyle began as a founding member, primarily contributing to strategic planning and talent acquisition. Over time, he ascended to lead the Direct-to-Consumer segment, planning and executing its growth and success. Beyond these responsibilities, he also spearheads the establishment of new partnerships, growth initiatives, and overarching strategies. Sathish’s capabilities encompass analytical prowess, innovative design acumen, and a distinctive creative perspective that he channels into his various roles.
Satyen P. Momaya was appointed as the new CEO at Celio Future Fashion Pvt. Ltd. India in 2017. A seasoned professional, Satyen holds over 20 years of experience working across Retail, Telecom and Consumer Durables industries. He has a successful track record in building a strong profitable business and achieving market growth objectives. At Celio Future Fashion Pvt. Ltd. India, he spearheads the Retail Business right from operations and management to marketing related activities and revenue generation. He is also responsible for the growth and development of the brand – Celio in India, and is working towards making it a premier menswear brand in the country. He believes in collaborative leadership, building a winning team & follows the motto of “Execute without Excuse”.
Shifali Singla holds the position of Vice President at Sports and Leisure Apparel Limited, the exclusive licensee of Lacoste in India. With over 11 years of dedicated experience with the brand, Shifali has been playing a pivotal role in steering Lacoste's growth journey within the country, leading crucial functions such as Product and Supply Chain operations. Throughout her 18-year corporate journey, Shifali has amassed extensive expertise across several key areas of the retail business with a notable emphasis on Buying and Merchandising, Retail Planning, Visual Merchandising, and Supply Chain Management. Shifali is an alumna of the prestigious National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Gandhinagar, where she completed her Post Graduation in 'Garment Manufacturing Technology'. A staunch believer in the adage "Learning Never Stops", Shifali is always eager to explore new avenues and gain insights from fresh experiences.
Shubha Pai heads YouTube Sales at Google and is responsible for revenue and product strategy for India. She is a Sales & Marketing leader with 2 decades of experience across telco, tech and start-ups like InMobi and Flipkart. Her core experience and interest lie in sales and marketing with strong focus on revenue and business growth. She’s built and led teams and driven business in high-growth, highly competitive industries. Among the many roles she plays, the most fulfilling is being mother to her 9-year girl who is a bundle of energy. The jury is out on who the bigger YouTube fan is – Shubha or her daughter!
Shubhi is a leader with diverse experience spread across consumer segments. Keeping consumers as the core she has worn multiple hats throughout her career. She has created a long lasting impact through her roles in buying , digital, e-commerce before leading a brand. She has launched multiple successful brands in the country & loves bringing fashion to Indian consumers.
A passionate workaholic and troubleshooter, Siddharth Dungarwal is the CEO and Founder of Snitch – the fast-growing fast-fashion brand for men. As the CEO, Siddharth takes a hands-on approach to managing Snitch’s operations and finance. His experience in the industry has honed his expertise in production, design, and operations, ensuring the brand consistently delivers high-quality products. Snitch’s primary vision is to become the fastest-growing fast-fashion brand in India. With Siddharth’s guidance and the collective efforts of the Snitch Team, the brand has already made significant strides in achieving this goal.
Snitch is India’s only D2C brand that touched 150Cr ARR within 2 years of inception, despite being bootstrapped. Siddharth’s achievements have also earned him recognition as a young entrepreneur, as well as accolades such as being listed in “40 under 40” and receiving the Indian Achievers Award.
Suparna is the CEO of the Watches and Wearables Division of Titan Company Limited. She is an electrical engineer from Jadavpur University and an MBA from IIM, Calcutta. She has business experience of 3 decades in the lifestyle and retail sectors. She started her career as a management trainee at Hindustan Lever Limited.
Suparna currently serves on the Board of Governors for IIM Kozhikode and has previously served on the board of Tata Power Solar. She is currently leading the transformation and growth agenda of the watches and wearables business in Titan Company after the Pandemic era. She has been recognized on many platforms including Fortune Most Powerful Women in Business, Business Today Most Powerful Women,
BW Businessworld Most Influential Women 2022 and ET Femina Most Promising Women Leaders Award in 2022.
After graduating from NYU’s Stern School of Business in 2018, Vashisht joined the family business at D2 International Private Limited, a leading leather goods export house based in Kolkata, India.
During his tenure, he meticulously collaborated with distinguished luxury brands such as Karl Lagerfeld and Anya Hindmarch. His keen expertise and creative vision contributed to the development and execution of their high-end collections, which graced the shelves of esteemed retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
In 2021, he, alongside his mother, went on to launch Gioia, a luxury leather goods brand with timelessness and quality craftsmanship at its core. At Gioia, he aims to continue creating exceptional leather goods that resonate with connoisseurs of style and individuality.
As the MD & CEO, Vinay defines the road map for all creative design strategy, operations and marketing. A graduate of the University of Miami with a major in Entrepreneurship and a minor in Marketing, Vinay kick-started his career in 2002 by setting up a promotions company along with his friends targeting some of the most exclusive restaurants, bars, lounges and nightclubs in Miami. At Soch, his responsibility includes store designing, marketing & advertising, visual merchandising, brand positioning and operations. Today, the brand under his leadership is by far one of the leading ethnic wear retail chains in the country. Soch has a retail presence of 161 stores across 65 cities in India. Under his leadership, the company has grown to employ over 1400 people. Guided by his father’s vision, Vinay aims to be one of the top three women’s ethnic wear brands in India within the next two years. Vinay has played a pivotal role in spreading the brand ethos of fun and joy.
Over the past 12 years, Vineet Gautam has directed Bestseller’s impressive growth trajectory in India, amplifying the company’s retail footprint from 15 to 1583 doors. Equipped with expertise in Operations, Marketing, Brand Management and Business Development, Vineet envisions Bestseller India to be the largest fashion retailer of the country by 2025.
Yogesh Kakar is currently serving as Chief Product Officer for PVH Arvind Fashion Pvt Ltd. His role covers Product and Supply chain facets of the business for 2 brands –Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. 23+ years of fashion retail experience across Tommy Hilfiger, Clavin Klein, Levis, United Colors of Benetton and S Kumars. He has spent last 17 + years in the current organization. Yogesh is a Textile Engineering, post Graduate from NIFT and has done general management course from IIM Bangalore. He believes in doing focussed task at a time and doing it with par excellence.