Bata India Limited has announced internal changes in its senior leadership, elevating three department heads to Senior Management Personnel status. Effective October 1, 2026, Kandarp Asher, Harmeet Kaur and Jasleen Kaur will join the SMP cadre through full-time appointments, signaling a strategic emphasis on aligning demand, planning and marketing leadership with Bata’s growth ambitions.
Kandarp Asher, Head – Demand Planning, is described as a supply chain transformation leader with 18-plus years of experience across merchandising, demand planning, replenishment and inventory optimization. His career spans leadership roles at Aditya Birla Retail (More) and Reliance Industries, where he drove large-scale business transformations, ERP implementations and supply chain efficiencies.
Harmeet Kaur, Head – Commercial Planning, is a retail merchandising professional with 21-plus years at Bata. She has progressed through multiple leadership roles spanning buying, category management, brand management and merchandising across kids, school, ladies and non-footwear categories, and has served as VP – Merchandising Retail.
Jasleen Kaur, Head – Marketing, is a marketing, branding and public relations leader currently heading Brand Marketing & PR at Bata. Her prior leadership experience includes roles at Hugo Boss, Mothercare, Hamleys, Benetton Group and Canon India. She holds an MBA in Marketing & Strategy from MDI and an Executive Education certification in Sustainable Development from Columbia University, complementing Bata’s brand-building agenda.
These moves underscore Bata India’s focus on strengthening core functions—demand planning, commercial planning and marketing—as the company navigates a dynamic retail landscape while continuing to invest in leadership depth from within.