Nishith Rastogi
Gurgaon
Summary
Dynamic professional with 17+ experience in sourcing and merchandising, notably at Li & Fung India. Proven track record in vendor management and negotiation expertise, and product governance.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Asst. Director – Sourcing and Merchandising
GENZR India
2022.10 - Current
- Company Overview: formally known as Reshamandi
- Primarily involved in Building International revenue Vertical -
- Setting up International Apparel Business supply chain from scratch within the organization
- Identifying potential opportunities, new markets, market trends and curating customer centric Pitch decks
- New clients onboarded: Tailor Vintage ( USA), ELK brand (USA), Komar Brand (USA), Lion of Porches (Portugal), Decenio (Portugal), Reflection Brand (Kuwait), Shogiline ( Kuwait), Mauzan (Dubai)
- Developing strategies to enter new markets by assessing the supply-demand gap and identifying product feasible for selling in that market
- Lead generation and order pipeline: Established and overviewed the process of new lead generation through various channels while focusing on conversion ratio
- Oversee the end-to-end sourcing process, including supplier identification, negotiation of price and terms, contract management, and supplier performance evaluation
- Lead cross-functional teams to analyze market trends, assess supplier capabilities, and identify potential cost-saving opportunities
- Collaborate with internal stakeholders to understand business requirements and align sourcing strategies with organizational goals
- Overall, the role has been a combination of strategic thinking, operational execution and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders
- Formally known as Reshamandi
Sr. Merchandise Manager (Taking shape Brand)
Meydan Group Australia Pty Ltd
2022.04 - 2022.09
- Heading the Product development team and working on expanding the sourcing operations of Taking Shape (Big size apparel wear brand in Australia) in India
- Manage relationships with vendors and plan vendor allocation & aggregated costing along aligned to the cost targets to drive competitive advantage
- Aligning sourcing strategies with overall organization goals
Merchandise Manager
Li & Fung India Ltd
2013.09 - 2022.03
- Over a decade long experience in LF, I was involved in multiple roles, starting from a Production merchandiser (Operations) to moving on into Product and Business development role
- Before leaving the organization, I was handling three established customers and working on business expansion with them
- Here is the brief role description -
- Supplier negotiation on price, MOQ, delivery and other aspects
- Initiating new booked styles with vendors and closing of Production TNA with vendor
- Negotiation with Customer nominated mills for fabric approval closure, mill ETD and ETA
- Work with quality team, Vendors, mill and Customer to ensure right quality of product
- Oversee the production elements to meet the standard and approval
- Troubleshoot production problems, prevent/resolve issues that will impact on product quality, cost and delivery
- Review Weekly WIP report, Monthly reports, and capacity plan with vendors
- Preparing Seasonal Vendor performance report with feedback/review to improve the vendor park
- Amount of Business handled 2021: USD 15.6 million, volume: 12,50,000 units
Sr. Merchandiser
Taffles Pvt. Ltd
2011.07 - 2013.08
- Managed Product development Merchandising for KIABI brand of France for Women wear
- Analysis of designs details of a prototype sample and its applicability in production
- Negotiating cost price and delivery TNA
- Order follow up with vendors and Coordination with internal departments – technical team, quality assurance team and accounts team to ensure smooth running of the orders
- Responsible for managing Client’s itinerary, meetings and arrangements on their visit to India
- Amount of business handled: $ 4 million, Volume handled per year : 6 lac units
Production Merchandiser
Indochine India Sourcing group
2009.06 - 2011.06
- Managed Production Merchandising for Newlook Retail of UK
- Partnered development team in sourcing new Vendors in South India
- Appreciated by Country head for developing ‘Delay Chart’ format showing the analytical presentation with graphical view of delays in delivery for each exporter and buyer
- Amount of business handled: $ 2.5 million, Volume handled per annum : 200k units
Asst. Merchandiser
Orient Craft Limited
2007.06 - 2009.04
- Managed Pre-Production merchandising for Kidswear Brand - Oilily of Netherlands
- Responsible for Salesman Sample production
NIFT Graduation project
Raymond Apparel Limited (Manzoni unit, Thane)
2007.01 - 2007.04
- NIFT Graduation project on 'Manpower Assessment in Cutting Section through Industrial Engineering methods'
NIFT Summer Internship
Koutons Retail Private Limited
Gurgaon
2006.05 - 2006.06
Education
Online Certification - Sustainable Fashion
Copenhagen Business School
07.2021
Graduation - Bachelors of Fashion Technology
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
01.2007
Senior Secondary -
Universal Public School
Delhi01.2003
Skills
- Problem solving
- People management
- Negotiation Expertise
- Vendor management
- Product development
- Analytical Decision Making
- Team leadership
Brands worked with:
- Lucky Brand (US)
- Tommy Hilfiger (US)
- Express (US)
- Janie and Jack (US)
- Taking Shape (Australia)
- Kiabi (France)
- New Look (UK)
- Oilily Kids (Netherlands)
Timeline
Asst. Director – Sourcing and Merchandising
GENZR India
2022.10 - Current
Sr. Merchandise Manager (Taking shape Brand)
Meydan Group Australia Pty Ltd
2022.04 - 2022.09
Merchandise Manager
Li & Fung India Ltd
2013.09 - 2022.03
Sr. Merchandiser
Taffles Pvt. Ltd
2011.07 - 2013.08
Production Merchandiser
Indochine India Sourcing group
2009.06 - 2011.06
Asst. Merchandiser
Orient Craft Limited
2007.06 - 2009.04
NIFT Graduation project
Raymond Apparel Limited (Manzoni unit, Thane)
2007.01 - 2007.04
NIFT Summer Internship
Koutons Retail Private Limited
2006.05 - 2006.06
Online Certification - Sustainable Fashion
Copenhagen Business School
Graduation - Bachelors of Fashion Technology
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)
Senior Secondary -
Universal Public School