This episode is about the journey of a consultant in retail evolution and how the role of a retail consultant is changing and evolving. To understand this, we have invited Subhajit Mazumder, Director – Microsoft India.

Subhajit has spent almost his entire career as a Retail & CPG consultant with Big 4s. He has worked with various Indian and global brands on different problems. Though for the last few years, he has primarily worked on technology deployment across businesses, he hasn’t taken his eyes off the Retail & CPG space. He keeps track of how industry is changing and what its emerging challenges are. Every time I speak to him, he is excited to discuss the latest developments, for example, how Gen AI is going to help this industry and many more.

We also have a new host for this episode, Ranjit Satyanath. Ranjit is equally passionate about new technologies and new ways of tackling business problems. Ranjit has spent over 2 decades in the retail industry with some leading brands and is now busy working with brands in an independent capacity as a change maker.

During the last 4 years, the supply chain has emerged as a major opportunity for sustainable growth across sectors and industries. There is a sudden focus on supply chain efficiency to enhance business profitability and customer experience. Considering this as an opportunity, Boards of directors are now setting clear targets to add 2-5% to the bottom line through supply chain optimization. Food businesses are looking at reducing waste across the chain to achieve some quick numbers as well as meet the regulator’s expectations on sustainability goals. Looking at the importance of the task in hand, brands are not just exploring new models suited to their businesses but also how they can make the best use of technology to make this difference. The latest buzz around AI has also added a new dimension to how next generation supply chain will function.

Early in January this year, Retail’s big show NRF predicted Retail Media as one of the emerging technologies in the retail world. The opportunity is sized at around US$300 BLN for 2024.

Tom has pioneered the Retail Media space since 1994 as an entrepreneur and kept innovating this space through series of his ventures.

Tom Burgess is the President of Snipp Media Networks and a Serial Entrepreneur.

Acquisition of his first venture, Eco Media by Soft Bank in 1998 not just inspired him but made him hungry for more and he just kept building businesses and creating value for other larger entities. Having exited from 4 of his retail media ventures, he now strategically guides the growth of Snipp Media Networks.

Both Pankaj More and Vishal Kapil are seasoned technology executives with extensive global experience in driving digital transformation within the Retail and CPG industries. Pankaj, with his background in leadership roles at Walmart and GE, brings a wealth of experience in spearheading technology-driven initiatives across diverse regions such as Africa, India, and the United States. Similarly, Kapil's tenure at companies like Marks & Spencer India and Adidas & Reebok India & Emerging Markets has seen him lead transformative IT projects across multiple countries in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Both Pankaj and Kapil share a passion for leveraging technology to enhance business operations and customer experience. They excel in driving strategic initiatives and building high-performing teams to achieve organizational goals. However, they differ in their specific areas of expertise and leadership styles. Pankaj's focus lies in digital strategy, product management, and data engineering, while Kapil specializes in technology leadership, change management, and solution architecture. Additionally, Pankaj's career spans across various multinational corporations, while Kapil has a strong background in consulting and system implementations before transitioning into leadership roles within retail giants. Despite these differences, both Pankaj and Kapil share a common commitment to driving innovation, fostering cross-functional collaboration, and delivering tangible results in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.

2023 was the first full recovery year for the retail industry after disruptions due to the pandemic. In this year-end episode of Leaders & Innovators, we thought let's invite a few leaders from different sections of the industry and discuss with them the overall status of how things have recovered, what has changed permanently, and what remains to be addressed! Also, what do they think 2024 has in store globally for the industry?

In India, we have some commonly known brands like Bajaj, Wipro, Cipla, MDH, Haldiram, and many more which have continued to stay true to their fundamentals over the generations and evolved to their customers and market needs over these years. Their continuous success & growth have been inspiring for many new brands to emerge in the same space.

Nilesh Gupta is someone who has not just taken his father's legacy forward in true spirit but also set up trends on how CDIT retail is carried out successfully in the Indian market. He continues to be a role model for many new brands to set up shops in India.

Attending the Pathshala during my formative years exposed me to the illuminating tenets of Jainism such as Ahimsa – Aparigraha – Sweekar – and Anekaantwad.

Ahimsa is non-violence, widely known and practiced in India, thanks to Gandhiji’s pervading influence. Aparigraha espouses selflessness and detachment from results and material life. Sweekar, the acceptance of adverse outcomes and uncontrollable events in life, is critical to a mind that seeks to endure and progress with equanimity. Sweekar views hurdles and building blocks in the path to the future. I think I owe many of my successes to Sweekar because it gave me the grit and acceptance that is so essential in business. Lastly, Anekaantwad is special to me. Anekaantwad embraces multiple truths instead of just one. There can be varied reasons behind the existence of multiple truths. It could be a limitation of words, language, thinking, logic, emotions or senses. It is special because it became the kernel of my life, and it helped me resolve personal and professional dilemmas.

A passionate leader with a reputation for delivering, Anna Berry has over 34 years of retail experience.

As Head of Category in Home, Anna was responsible for a team of sixty and over £450m in sales for John Lewis. Anna also built the General Merchandise ranges in Waitrose. Anna is strategically agile and sees opportunities to respond to customer needs with creative new propositions and experiences to transform business. Commercially astute, skilled at identifying new commercial opportunities and creating compelling omnichannel customer propositions for retail businesses now as a Retail Consultant. She delivers excellent results by leading the innovation of new products and the creation of memorable and personalised experiences. Commercially she is clear with her priorities ensuring her focus on achieving the highest results never wanes. With experience across many categories from fashion, beauty, home and technology - Anna is now supporting businesses as a consultant - delivering on Strategy and retail delivery, training and mentoring. Collaboration and strong stakeholder management are vital skills which allow her to deliver success to others.

The values of the Partnership are incredibly important to me - I truly believe it is a “better way of doing business.” Integrity is crucial, my honesty and openness are often commented on. I believe passionately in the power of mentoring and coaching and do this at all levels taking real pleasure as I see the number of careers I have helped develop. I led on Diversity and Inclusion in Trading believing we need to find ways to shift our culture to respond to new ways of working - and if we are to remain relevant for our customers. A passionate and committed individual with products and people at the heart of what I do.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-berry-142505b9