Sandeep Kataria, CEO, Bata India Elevated As Global CEO – Bata Brands
Mumbai: The Bata Shoe Organization, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and retailers of quality footwear, has announced the appointment of Sandeep Kataria as CEO, effective immediately. Mr. Kataria is the first Indian to be elevated to this prestigious global role of the footwear major. He takes over from Alexis Nasard, who is stepping down after almost five years in the role.
Mr. Kataria has extensive leadership experience in working across geographies, backed by an intuitive understanding of consumers and a determined but inclusive leadership style. With 24 years of experience at Unilever, Yum Brands, and Vodafone in India and Europe before joining Bata India as CEO in 2017, he has been directly involved in leading businesses and powerhouse brands that command impressive consumer following and extensive global reach. A passion for developing talent blends perfectly with Mr. Kataria’s sound understanding of markets and strategic finesse, making him a leader of exceptional merit.
As the CEO of Bata India Ltd, Mr. Kataria has helped drive the Company’s consistent growth and profitability. Under his leadership, Bata India doubled its profits driven by double-digit topline growth, and sponsored some of the most ingenious campaigns, including ‘Surprisingly Bata’, that revamped Bata’s image as a more vibrant and contemporary brand, targeted at younger consumers.
Speaking about Mr. Kataria’s appointment, Ashwani Windlass, Chairman – Bata India Ltd, said:
“I would like to congratulate Sandeep on his well-deserved promotion. Over the past few years, the India team has delivered exceptional growth in footwear volumes, revenues, and profits, and has strengthened Bata’scustomer measures in a highly competitive footwear market. The Bata Group and Bata India both stand to benefit greatly from Sandeep’s extensive experience.”
Commented Sandeep Kataria, CEO – Bata Brands: “I am honoured to accept this new appointment and excited by the journey ahead of us. Bata is a brand with an enviable reputation for high quality, affordable footwear. I have been privileged to be part of Bata’s success in India and I look forward to
building further on our proud, 120-year history as shoemakers to the world. While 2020 has presented unique challenges, the appeal of our brands and the passion of our people provide every reason for confidence regarding our prospects in the years ahead.”
About Bata:
Founded in 1894, Bata is one of the world’s leading shoemakers, designing comfortable and stylish footwear at surprisingly affordable prices. Bata is a family-owned business selling more than 180 million pairs of shoes annually in 5,800 stores and producing locally in 22 Bata-owned manufacturing facilities across five continents. Bata operates in more than 70 countries and has 35,000 employees.
About Bata India:
Bata has held a unique place in the hearts of Indians for more than 85 years. Probably the only footwear brand that offers footwear and accessories for the entire family, Bata has redefined the modern footwear industry in India. It has established a leadership position in the industry and is the most-trusted name in branded footwear. Bata sells about 50 million pairs every year and serves 120,000-plus customers every day.
Bata India is the largest footwear retailer in India, offering footwear, accessories, and bags across brands such as Bata, Hush Puppies, Naturalizer, Power, Marie Claire, Weinbrenner, North Star, Scholl, Bata Comfit, and Bubblegummers, to name a few. It retails in more than 1550 Bata-owned and franchisee stores on bata.in, on e-commerce marketplaces, and in thousands of multi-brand footwear dealer stores pan-India. To make its products accessible to millions of Indians, Bata has evolved its channels and recently launched new channels such as Bata Chat Shop, Bata Home Delivery, and Bata Store-on-Wheels for neighborhood communities.
