Sunil Kataria joins Raymond as CEO – Lifestyle Business

India’s leading textile, apparel and retail conglomerate today announced the appointment of Sunil Kataria as the CEO of Lifestyle Business. Raymond, an iconic brand that has an illustrious legacy of 97 years, strengthened its leadership team by on-boarding the seasoned professional reckoned for leading large scale business transformations and creating strong consumer brands in India and South East Asia. In his new role, Sunil will be responsible for steering the next phase of growth by driving the digital agenda and strengthening the brand’s presence in domestic and international markets.

Speaking on this latest development, Gautam Hari Singhania, chairman & managing director, Raymond said; “At Raymond, we believe in having industry’s finest talent that resonates with our vision to create a future ready organisation. During the last few years, we have been making stronger strides and creating brands and retail experiences for our loyal and new-age consumers. I would like to welcome Sunil to the Raymond family and believe that he would be instrumental in accelerating growth for the business in India and international markets.” The appointment of Sunil Kataria comes at a critical juncture in Raymond’s journey for the brand that continues to be a leader in its pack and stays relevant in the fashion apparel space with numerous international labels entering the Indian market.

The Lifestyle Business is the flagship vertical of Raymond Group which includes branded textiles, garmenting, shirting, retail and apparel business including brands such as - Raymond, Raymond Ready-to- Wear, Raymond Made to Measure, Park Avenue, ColorPlus, Parx and Ethnix by Raymond. Sunil’s role will be pivotal in driving the ongoing transformation to create a future ready Raymond that intersperses digital and physical experiences while infusing freshness to product portfolio to drive growth. With customer centricity at the core, Raymond has been driving an enterprise wide transformation aimed at harnessing the unprecedented digital opportunity.

The last few years have witnessed an overhaul of processes and technology at this fibre to fabric manufacturer and retailer that prides on its home grown labels and world class quality products exported to leading global brands. In an endeavour to emerge as a new age lifestyle conglomerate, technology has been increasingly playing a significant role. Its latest slew of launches be it - DIY range of Denims, home concierge services, stylist advisory, virtual tradeshows and bookings, increasing presence on ecommerce and various other initiatives are ably aided by technology across consumer lifecycle. The digital pivot is proving to be a game changer for Raymond which has been making strong strides in FMCG, engineering, real estate and education space.

During his earlier stint as the CEO of Godrej Consumer Products, Sunil managed the business operations of India and South East Asia. He spearheaded transformation of the business – driving performance and best in class financial results and building a great workplace. With a rich experience spanning over 30 years, Sunil has worked with eminent names such as Marico and Idea Cellular. Currently, he also serves the chairman of The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).