Bata India Limited, leading footwear brand has appointed Gunjan Shah as the Chief Executive Officer. As the CEO, he will be spearheading the brand’s operations in India. He takes over from Sandeep Kataria who has been elevated as the Global CEO of Bata Brands.
Delighted upon Shah’s appointment , Ashwani Windlass, Chairman – Bata India Ltd, said, “I am delighted to welcome Gunjan on board as Bata India’s new CEO. Over the past few years, we have been consistently delivering strong growth in the highly competitive footwear market. Backed by decades of experience working with powerhouse brands, Gunjan understands the Indian market’s complexities and varied nuances. I’m confident that he will add value and strengthen Bata’s position in the Indian market.”
Congratulating Shah for the new role, Sandeep Kataria, Global CEO – Bata Brands, said, “India has always been a significant market for us from a global perspective. A dynamic leader like Gunjan will spearhead the company’s operations in India and given his extensive experience and track record, I am confident that he will take the Bata brand to even greater heights and deliver strong growth.”
On taking up the new duties, Gunjan Shah, CEO-designate – Bata India Ltd, added, “I feel both honoured and humbled on being appointed as the CEO of India’s favourite footwear brand and on the confidence reposed in me by the board. I’m also excited about the journey ahead. As an iconic brand, Bata has become an integral part of the Indian fabric. I realise that I have big shoes to fill in and I’m thrilled about working with the talented & experienced Bata team. I look forward to building on the legacy of my predecessors in taking the Bata brand to new heights alongside creating long term sustainable value for all stakeholders in the company.”
Gunjan Shah has worked across varied sectors spanning Consumer Durables, Telecom and FMCG. He started off as Regional Manager at Asian Paints later on moved to Britannia Industries Limited where he worked for 13+ years. At Britannia he joined as Regional Sales Manager for South India as well as North India. He was then elevated as the Head- Britannia NEXT where he headed a cross functional transformation platform driving efficiency/cost reduction/change mgmt across the value chain from procurement, R&D, mfg, distribution, sales verticals.
After handling several roles across various functions in Britannia, Shah was head of the replenishment function in Britannia for 20 months. In this role, he was responsible for forecasting, planning, distribution and customer service for domestic as well as significant part of exports business. He has also headed International Business arm of Britannia. Prior to joining Bata, Shah was the Chief Commercial Officer, Britannia.
