Bata hires Sandeep Kataria as country manager; promotes Rajeev Gopalakrishnan as president

Footwear major Bata India on Tuesday announced appointment of Sandeep Kataria as the Country Manager with effect from August 1.

Sandeep joins from his last assignment as Chief Commercial Officer at Vodafone India.

With an experience of over two decades, Sandeep held roles ranging from Regional Sales manager to Global Brand Director in Unilever and from Chief Marketing Officer to Chief Executive Officer in Yum.

The company however has elevated Rajeev Gopalakrishnan as President of Asia South, based in Singapore, with a broader perimeter encompassing: India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.

This development is in line with Bata India's growth trajectory which picked up significant momentum under Gopalakrishnan.

He has indeed been pivotal in driving the product, brand, retail and manufacturing levers of the business.

A clear reflection of past few years trajectory has been Bata's share price almost tripling in the last six years from a value of Rs. 196 per share in Apr 2011 to Rs. 584 per share as on date and wining several awards including the most admired Retail footwear brand in India by Brand Equity, Images Retail, Dun and Bradstreet.

"I am confident that Sandeep will play a critical role in continuing to build Bata as a contemporary and stylish brand, keeping in mind the changing consumer trend in India and will drive the company to achieve the accelerated growth plan," said President Asia South, Bata, Rajeev Gopalakrishnan.

Sandeep holds a Bachelor of Technology degree (Chemical Engineering) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur. He has lived and worked in India (Delhi and Mumbai) and UK (London).

"I am very excited for the opportunity to lead Bata in India - a very strong, trusted and admired brand with immense potential to grow rapidly. My association with Bata goes back to my teenage days when I used to spend my summer vacations in my grandfather's shoe business in Agra. I look forward to helping to take the business to greater heights across many channels, consumer segments and geographies," said country manager, Bata India, Sandeep Kataria.