Gaurav Pandey
Business Head- Modern Trade, Gov. canteen & Export Business
Lucknow
Summary
A results-driven professional with a strong track record in building and scaling businesses across B2B and B2C landscapes. Currently heading the Key Accounts & Export Business at Bata India, I successfully built the Key Accounts vertical from scratch, driving it to strong double-digit growth since inception.
With expertise in P&L management, people leadership, strategic partnerships, and negotiations,consistently delivering high-impact results, including a CAGR of 48% (2019-24)—making this one of the most profitable channels in the organization.
I am passionate about business transformation and have a proven ability to develop high-performance teams, drive profitability, and establish strategic alliances.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
2
2
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Business Head - Key Accounts & Export Business
Bata Group
Gurgaon
06.2019 - Current
- Established and scaled the Key Accounts vertical from scratch, achieving strong double-digit growth since inception.
- Spearheaded P&L management, driving 48% CAGR (2019-24) and enhancing net margins by 2.5% in 2024.
- Set and monitored annual budgets for departments and entire business.
- Developed and implemented successful strategies for building and growing channel sales.
- Built and strengthened relationships with industry partners to drive growth.
- Expanded market reach by identifying and pursuing new business opportunities.
- Launched new products or services that contributed significantly to the company's bottom line while maintaining a strong competitive edge.
- Developed high-performing team members through effective coaching, mentoring, and performance evaluations.
- Managed budgets, forecasting financial needs, and ensuring fiscal responsibility across all departments.
- Developed partnerships with key industry players that expanded our client base or increased our revenue streams.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to define goals, align objectives, and ensure overall company success.
- Led cross-functional teams to achieve successful project completion within tight deadlines.
- Applied expertise in strategic planning that allowed us to outpace our competition in terms of market share growth or profitability.
- Oversaw product development from conception through launch while maintaining quality standards and meeting customer expectations.
- Developed strategy to combat increased competitive presence within territory.
- Developed in-depth knowledge of each client's business through research and regular on-site meetings.
- Developed bottom-up forecasting plans for territory, addressing sales goal attainment.
- Used industry expertise, customer service skills and analytical nature to resolve customer concerns and promote loyalty.
Senior National Key Account Manager
S C Johnson
Gurgaon
05.2016 - 05.2019
- Managed 70% of SC Johnson’s Modern Trade (MT) Retail business, achieving record profitability and growth.
- Negotiated five major business agreements, securing 450 bps cost savings through direct supply.
- Delivered a 525% increase in Chemist PDO, outperforming General Trade and Modern Trade benchmarks.
- Optimized trade investments, reducing spend by 150 bps while maintaining high revenue growth.
- Recognized with Outstanding Quarterly Performance Awards five times consecutively.
Merchandising Manager
Hindustan Unilever Limited, HUL
Mumbai
05.2014 - 04.2016
- Led national-level merchandising projects, including Project Fusion (Humarashop.com), Mission Occupy, and Mass Merchandising.
- Developed “Epilogue” business insights report, providing strategic intelligence to Unilever India’s leadership team.
- Coordinated trade marketing and execution strategies with sales and brand teams.
- Project Management- National Projects like Project Fusion- (Online Portal for GT Retailers- humarashop.com), Mass Merchandising- Mission Occupy and Merchandising working hours.
National Category Manager
Aditya Birla Group
Mumbai
10.2012 - 04.2014
- Category turnaround by doubling the ABRL Instant category business in less than 2 years with 220 bps higher margin
- Responsible for Vendor Development and Collaboration.
- Category Analysis: Analyzing Category reports pertaining to Sales, Stocks, and Margins to take educated business calls.
- Market research and keeping abreast with market trends, tracking Competition's activities.
- Monetization- Generated additional income like display incomes, backend margins and TOT incomes.
- Working Capital Management - Stock versus payment analysis
- Optimized national category sales by developing and implementing strategic plans.
- Spearheaded collaborative efforts among teams in various regions to share best practices and leverage resources across markets effectively.
- Collaborated cross-functionally to align marketing efforts with overall business objectives, increasing brand recognition within the national market.
- Managed budgets effectively, ensuring allocated funds were used efficiently to drive maximum ROI on investments made within the national category.
- Developed and executed spend category to support business objectives.
- Maximized category turnover through proactive management strategies.
- Incorporated suggested changes to layouts and promotions to drive sales.
- Mitigated business risk and improved customer lead times through thoughtful supplier network design.
- Liaised with Category leaders to address supplier performance issues and develop solutions.
Assistant Category Manager
Future Group- BigBazaar
New Delhi
04.2011 - 09.2012
- Led national FMCG business for rural retail vertical of Future Group.
- Introduced the MBQ system in business and Monthly MBQ formation for both buying and non-buying cycles and ensured proper and timely
execution of MBQ to get the best return. - Growth Monitoring: Analyze & Summarize sales data; drive monthly and quarterly goals for sales and margin and working capital.
- Collaboration: Collaboration with different departments to ensure timely execution of the plan and on-time vendor payments.
- Increased category sales by implementing strategic pricing and promotional plans.
- Optimized product assortment by regularly reviewing sales performance and making data-driven decisions on SKU additions or discontinuations.
- Managed vendor contracts, ensuring adherence to terms while negotiating advantageous deals for the company.
- Reduced out-of-stock occurrences by maintaining close communication with supply chain partners around lead times and order quantities.
- Analyzed sales and market data to identify new growth opportunities for the category.
- Worked closely with store operations teams to address any issues impacting category performance at a local level, tailoring strategies as needed for specific locations or regions.
Education
MBA - Retail Management
Birla Institute of Management Technology
Greater Noida, India 04.2009 - 03.2011
Skills
Key Account Management B2B & B2C Sales P&L Ownership Business Growth Strategy
Sales Acceleration Revenue Growth Profitability Maximization
Strategic Partnerships & Negotiations Vendor & Inventory Management
Category & Merchandising Excellence Assortment & Space Planning GTM Execution
Demand Forecasting & Budgeting Trade & Visibility Strategy Retail Expansion
People Leadership Team Building Coaching & Mentoring
Project Management & Process Optimization
Omni-Channel Retail & Digital Transformation
Timeline
Business Head - Key Accounts & Export Business
Bata Group
06.2019 - Current
Senior National Key Account Manager
S C Johnson
05.2016 - 05.2019
Merchandising Manager
Hindustan Unilever Limited, HUL
05.2014 - 04.2016
National Category Manager
Aditya Birla Group
10.2012 - 04.2014
Assistant Category Manager
Future Group- BigBazaar
04.2011 - 09.2012
MBA - Retail Management
Birla Institute of Management Technology
04.2009 - 03.2011
Accomplishments
- Built the Key Accounts vertical from scratch at Bata India, onboarding all major customers within 2 years.
- Promoted twice in 4 years, driving industry-leading business growth.
- Led 70% of MT retail business at SC Johnson, securing major ToT closures and increasing cost savings by 450 bps.
- ️ Awarded for Outstanding Quarterly Performance 5 times in a row at SC Johnson.
- ️ Doubled the Instant Category business at Aditya Birla Retail with 220 bps higher margins.
- Implemented innovative merchandising & demand forecasting strategies at Hindustan Unilever and Future Group, optimizing working capital and boosting category performance.
Languages
Hindi
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)