Abhishek Sharma

Regions Managed: South & West India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh)
Annual P&L Ownership: ₹1000 Crores | Wheat Procurement: 2.5 Lakh MT | Maida Procurement: 5 Lakh MT

• P&L Ownership & M2M Optimization
  Accountable for end-to-end procurement and deployment of Wheat and Maida across 33 manufacturing facilities, managing a ₹1000 Cr annual spend with direct impact on cost of goods sold (COGS) and gross margin.
  Executed strategic procurement of 2.5 Lakh MT Wheat as a hedge to manage Maida price volatility, ensuring business continuity and cost predictability.
  Continuously improved procurement efficiency through demand aggregation, vendor negotiations, and timely contracting, delivering measurable savings and better working capital turns.
• Strategy & Risk Management
  Developed and executed forward and spot buying strategies aligned with commodity market trends, leveraging ground-level intelligence and futures outlooks.
  Maintained a sharp focus on price-risk management, working with internal finance and business teams to align trading positions with P&L targets.
  Provided regular buy-side market outlooks, influencing key leadership decisions on pricing and sourcing strategy.
• Commercial Excellence & Vendor Development
  Negotiated commercial terms for custom milling arrangements, optimizing recovery from by-products (Bran, Suji, Atta) and improving vendor yield economics.
  Onboarded new vendors and implemented RFQ processes to enhance competitiveness and drive better landed cost per MT.
  Strengthened vendor partnerships through transparent contracting and consistent volume commitments, improving delivery reliability and quality compliance.
• Operational Execution & Product Customization
  Drove reduction in rejection rates and cost of rework through development of specialized Maida variants (Bread, Cracker, Wafer) in collaboration with production and QA teams.
  Ensured procurement KPIs met through rigorous PO tracking, supplier performance monitoring, and inventory pipeline management.
  Facilitated internal/external audits and maintained high process governance on commercial transactions.

• Spearheading the establishment and growth of the cotton trade and procurement vertical, implementing it from inception. Led the cotton business, driving P&L deliverables with a strong focus on profitability, growth targets, market penetration, and customer expansion.
• Sustained a healthy monthly revenue of ₹25 Cr while servicing a portfolio of 15 domestic and international clients.
• Initiated and scaled the cotton export business, achieving a consolidated revenue of ₹80 Cr with exports to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, and Oman.
• Developed a robust supply chain for cotton procurement and sales by strategically positioning key sourcing hubs across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.
• Managed resource optimization through effective budgeting, allocation, organizational structuring, and manpower planning.
• Focused on team building, expanding supply capabilities, and driving customer base growth during the tenure.

• Led ITC's Agribusiness Division in Maharashtra, providing strategic direction and driving key business metrics in the state
• Led a high-performing cross-functional team consisting of five managers and 45 employees across Commodity Trading, Finance, Supply Chain Operations, IT, and Projects departments, ensuring the successful attainment of targets and milestones
• Proactively procured and traded commodities such as Wheat, Paddy, Rice, Soya, and Millets, actively capitalizing on opportunities in commodity trading to expand the business portfolio and geographical footprint
• Played a pivotal role in the development and implementation of ITC EC-MAARS, a superapp that revolutionized farming practices and provided online marketplaces to farmers through FPOs within the ITC e-choupal ecosystem
• Collaborated extensively with the team responsible for building the Input, Credit, Output, and Crop Advisory solutions of EC MAARS. Operationalized the app in the state of Maharashtra through a robust network of over 100 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) across nine districts
• Collaborated closely with local government bodies and agricultural universities to enhance agri-extension work on wheat and soya bean crops

Central India – Supply Chain & Operations Leadership

10/2021-08/2022

Annual Volume: 12 Lakh MT | Turnover: ₹2,900 Cr | Team Led: 150+ across 18 districts

• Oversaw the end-to-end supply chain for food grains in Madhya Pradesh, covering procurement strategy, inventory, warehousing, supply planning, and outbound logistics across 27 operating locations.
• Led a team of 8 managers and 150+ team members, managing daily operations across 18 districts.
• Designed and implemented warehouse strategy across 56 sites to optimize space utilization, reduce lock-in periods, improve moisture control, and negotiate favorable service contracts.
• Managed dispatches to 30 conversion units and 6 trade destinations using multimodal transport (road, rake, and container), ensuring high OTIF, RMTK, and fill rate.
• Co-created ITC MAARS with McKinsey & Co – a tech-driven FPO enablement platform – and generated ₹40 Cr turnover in one rabi season via 58 active Farmer Producer Organizations.
• Worked with government bodies and agricultural universities to enhance extension work in wheat, soybean, ashwagandha, and other crops.

2. North India – Strategic Sourcing & Commodity Trading

07/2017-10/2021
Annual Wheat Procurement: 2.75 Lakh MT | Topline Delivered: ₹600 Cr | Plants Served: 5

• Managed strategic procurement and trading of wheat for ITC’s flagship brands (Aashirvaad, Yippee, Sunfeast) across 5 manufacturing plants in North India.
• Built and scaled a direct sourcing network for the newly launched Kapurthala ICML, onboarding ~1,450 farmers and 20+ suppliers across 5 districts in Punjab.
• Led the procure-to-pay cycle including price discovery, contract execution, spatial-temporal optimization, and margin management, ensuring low landed cost at plants.
• Delivered high service levels to major institutional buyers including Daawat, Britannia, and Jubilant FoodWorks.
• Partnered with McKinsey & Co to co-develop Astra, a data-driven forecasting and procurement optimization tool, enabling price benchmarking and real-time volume planning