On Monday, Footwear Major Bata Shoe announced Sandeep Kataria’s appointment as the Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective immediately.
This makes Kataria the first Indian to be promoted to the global position of Bata. He takes over from Alexis Nasard, who, after almost five years in the role, is stepping down.
Previously, Kataria was Bata India’s CEO. Before joining Bata India as CEO in 2017, with 24 years of experience at Unilever, Yum Brands, and Vodafone in India and Europe, he was directly involved in leading companies and powerhouse brands that command remarkable customer follow-up and comprehensive global scope.
Ashwani Windlass, Chairman-Bata India Ltd, said, speaking about Kataria’s appointment, “I would like to congratulate Sandeep on his well-deserved promotion.” The India team has delivered excellent growth in footwear volumes, sales, and profits over the past few years, and has improved Bata’s customer measures in a highly competitive footwear market. Both the Bata Party and Bata India stand to benefit greatly from the extensive experience of Sandeep.
“I’m honored to accept this new appointment, and excited about the journey ahead of us,” Sandeep Kataria said. Bata is a brand with an enviable reputation for inexpensive, high-quality footwear. I have been fortunate to be part of the success of Bata in India and I look forward to building on our proud, more than 125-year legacy as world shoemakers.
Established in 1894, Bata is a family-run company that annually sells more than 180 million pairs of shoes in 5,800 stores and manufactures locally in 22 production facilities owned by Bata across five continents. Bata operates and has 35,000 workers in more than 70 countries. Bata sells approximately 50 million pairs a year in India and serves 120,000-plus clients every day.
Under the leadership of Kataria, Bata India doubled its earnings, powered by double-digit topline growth, and funded some of the most ingenious campaigns, including ” Surprisingly Bata,” which revamped the image of Bata as a more vibrant and contemporary brand aimed at younger consumers, the company said.
